First and Last
by Mystical Pen
Summary: One night can change the course of two people's lives. Both Harry and Hermione learned this the hard way when the two of them had a wonderful night together, only to find out the next morning that everything was just a mistake...
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or anyone used in this story. J.K. Rowling owns them and she's the best!

First and Last

Chapter 1

A week had passed since the Second Wizarding War. Voldemort is dead and most of his death eaters are captured. The whole Wizarding World is already at peace and is entirely celebrating.

"Wow!" that's the only word Ron can mutter as they enter the Hog's Head.

Hermione too was so surprised to see so many people in the pub. She knows for sure that nobody ever comes to that place anymore for years. She glanced around and saw that the place was full of wizards and witches. Most of them were their friends. There were students and professors of Hogwarts, some Ministry officials and some ordinary wizards who were just strangers to them.

"I-have-never-ever seen this place SO crowded before…" Ron said slowly – trying to emphasize his utter amazement. While still looking around with wide eyes, he led the group to the bar and ordered. "Two fire whiskeys and a butter beer please Mr. Barman. And include three orders of Roast Beef in that." They made their way in a table for three and sat down to wait for their food – which arrived just moments after.

When their order came, Ron immediately immersed himself in his dinner hungrily while Hermione eyed Harry. Harry made no move to eat. He just sat and stared at the floor. And that's when Hermione knew that there was something wrong.

"Harry! Are you alright?" She asked as she turned her chair to face Harry. When Harry didn't even stir and continued staring at something invisible, she snapped her fingers in front of his blank face and tried once more. "Harry?" Still, no response. "Oh, For God's sakes, Harry! Anybody home? Can you hear me?" she pushed Harry's shoulder and he perked up suddenly.

"Uhhh. Huh? Errrm, are you talking to… me?" Harry asked incredulously. He pointed his index finger at his chest.

Hermione sighed loudly and sat properly. She held out a finger at Harry. "First, I haven't heard you mutter even a single word since this afternoon. Second…" She held out a second finger. "You are always dazed. And- don't you interrupt me, Harry James Potter!" She said loudly when Harry opened his mouth to contradict her. Harry immediately closed it again. "You are really, really insensitive. I've snapped my fingers in front of your face and you didn't even blink. Now, what-is-wrong-with you Harry? And DON'T even say that nothing's wrong, you know I'm always right and I know something's, freaking, bothering you! Now, SPEAK-UP!" Hermione ordered. And when she ordered, you are forced to obey.

Harry was raking his mind for an excuse when Ron abruptly intervened.

"Hermione, will you please calm down? Bloody Hell, a bloke's trying to eat here, excuse me! And Harry, Hermione's right. You look… ermmm…constipated. Something you ate? Heh. I was just joking. But really, what's wrong, mate?" Ron said with concern while he stabbed another large piece of his food and shoved it in his mouth.

Hermione threw Ron a disgusted look that he didn't even notice as he ate. She crossed her arms and looked at Harry again – her eyebrows raised and waiting for an answer.

Harry, realizing that he has to reply if he didn't want to be shouted at again, decided to answer. He sat properly and glued a fake smile in his face.

"Hermione, you already said that you're always right. Nothing's wrong with me. If there was, I would've told you, right away! You… being the smartest witch, should have figured that out, right?" Harry lied. He expected Hermione to just blush at his comment and buy his lie. But it's not his lucky day – and not his happy day either.

Hermione glared at him – her eyes reducing to slits. "Don't you sass me, Harry JAMES POTTER! I know there's something wrong. Just say-"

"Okay, Guys, for the sake of Moody's mad eye, stop it!" Ron cut Hermione. "Hermione, as I've said, CALM DOWN. You're attracting attention. You don't want that, do you? Just quit the fighting, would ya?" Ron scolded them – his voice as low as a whisper – while a bit of beef hanging in his chin bobbed and shook as he spoke.

"Ron, we're not fighting, mate. Okay, to settle this… Errr. I promise that if something happens, I'll tell you guys. As long as it's not too personal. Got that? I promise, Hermione, you'll be the first to know. Is that good enough? Let's just enjoy the night, shall we?" He offered as he feigned another smile. He scolded himself mentally for the two lies that he said to Hermione that night. He didn't like it. But he didn't have a choice. He has to do it, for he still isn't ready to tell her what's bothering him. Some other time will do.

"Okay. That's cool enough. But if something happens, you tell me right away and don't you even try to hide it, Harry. Okay, now eat up and quit staring around like a fool." Hermione commanded again and Harry obeyed – the burden of feelings, still lingering inside him.

They ate and chatted. They talked about everything that happened only weeks ago. They talked about how each of them fought the dark side and how each of them succeeded. They talked about how they miss their friends so much, their friends who fought alongside them and risked their own lives-the real heroes-to fight for what is right, and how Harry defeated Lord Voldemort. The hours passed on while they were having fun. But Hermione noticed that Harry was not equally cheerful the whole time and that something was pulling his mood down, and with that, she was convinced that something was entirely wrong.

AN: What do you think guys? I know it's kinda nonsense. But that's only the first chapter and this is my first fic ever. So please guys forgive me for the mistakes and the nonsense blabla. But please review guys. I would want to hear from you. I want some advices but please take it easy on me. Hope to hear your opinions. The second chapter is coming soon. THANKS! MUAA!


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: as I've said, nothing belongs to me. The series is owned by the awesome J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 2

"They really are happy now, aren't they? After the defeat of Voldemort, that is." Hermione said while glancing around at the pub. The pub became crowded with more people as time passed.

"Well, they should be. You know, after years of running around frightened of the Dark Lord and his criminal lunatics, it's about time that they can enjoy themselves without any doubts and fears. Don't you think so Harry?" Ron asked, trying to get a hold of Harry's attention..

"Huh? Oh! Yeah. Err. I mean, after what Tom did that frightened them, this freedom is kinda… err… overwhelming for them, I think." Harry answered and continued trying to melt the floor with his bare stare.

A deafening silence followed Harry's gesture and statement. No noise can be heard from the Trio except for Ron's shifting in his seat-still evidently trying to find his girlfriend Luna Lovegood-when someone arrived and sat beside Hermione. The trio heard a familiar husky voice when the person spoke.

"Hey guys. Long time no see eh? What's up with the Golden Trio?" Victor asked. He smiled handsomely when Hermione looked up. But obviously, it wasn't him Hermione was looking at. It was Harry.

Victor traced Hermione's eyes and found out why she was staring at Harry. Harry looked like he was going to explode. He was staring at Victor and his stare was sharp and piercing. His face turned from pale to scarlet.

"Uhhm, Harry what's wrong? Why are you staring like that? Hey, easy. I don't mean any harm!" Victor's voice was trembling. He turned to Hermione and asked "Apparently, you've already told him about it. That's why he's like this, I s'pose?"

Hermione gasped at Victor's question and elbowed him. "Come with me…" She looked angry while he pulled Victor away from Harry and Ron.

"What's wrong with you man? Your face is red." Ron asked. He was surprised to see Harry so red. It bloody scared him. Not because he haven't seen him furious before, but because Harry wasn't furious at all. Ron was certainly sure that he was in fact, jealous.

"It's just the fire whiskey. Don't mind me, Ron." Harry lied but he knows that he's not good at faking truth. But hell, he didn't really care.

"Okay. Ahhhm. Harry, would you mind if I leave? I just saw Luna near the door and I really miss her. Do you… err… Do you mind if I talk to her?" Ron asked awkwardly. But he didn't really see Luna. He was just making an excuse. Being Harry's best friend, he knows for a fact, that this very moment, Harry would want to be left alone.

"'course, Ron. Go. I'll be fine, don't worry. Enjoy the night mate. Tell Luna I said hi, would you? Bye." Harry answered and blankly focused his attention to his glass of fire whiskey.

"Okay. Bye. Err. Take care." Ron said farewell and left without another word.

Harry already calmed down but still, he's boiling with jealousy. He found himself having the urge to jinx the wretched Krum. Yes it would harm Victor but he really didn't care. All he wants now is to snatch Hermione away from him. But he knows, deep inside that he can't do that. Not only because he doesn't have the guts, but also, because he doesn't have the rights. _She was not his and never would she be_.

It's just so frustrating! A minute ago, he was having a problem about telling Hermione about his feelings. Hell, he didn't even know what to say. And now, this? Krum suddenly appeared and just suddenly knows something that he didn't? Competition with himself, he can handle. He can handle his heart competing against his brain on whether or not to tell Hermione how he feels. But competition against Hermione's crush, this freaking Krum, it's driving him crazy!

He glanced around to catch a glimpse of the two. At the corner of his eyes, he saw them in the far corner of the pub. He saw that Hermione was in deep conversation with Victor. It didn't hurt that much to see that. But after a while he saw her smile and laugh aloud. _She was enjoying Krum's company_. That was what he thought. And that was it. He can't take it anymore. He returned his stare at the bottle in his hands. He gripped it tight and hoped that the hurt he was feeling will pour away with the liquid in the bottle if he manages to break it.

He was in deep frustration when somebody called his name. Out of reflex action, he turned around to see who it was. Later did he realize that it was a very wrong move to turn around. And with that swift turn, he realized that the person who called him was exactly the same one he was hoping not to see again.

AN: Here's the second chapter people. Too soon? HAHA. It is still kinda senseless. Forgive me for that. I promise the third one would be much better. Please Read and Review.

PS: Thanks to my very first reviewer. SCABBERS1957. THANKS!


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my IMAAAAGINAAATIOOON! All Hail J.K. Rowling. :]]

Harry's POV

_What was that all about? What's he talking about?_ Those were the thoughts rummaging through my mind while I stare fixedly in the glass of fire whiskey in my hand. Ron had already left to find his girl friend. Or maybe, just to leave me alone. He'd been my best friend ever since I learned about the magical world, and I discern that he knows me well enough to realize that I need a moment alone with my thoughts.

I shifted my position in the chair and slouched. Nobody was with me that very minute. I was all alone with my glass of drink. The pub was banging with noise but it felt like the world was muted. My surroundings were blurred and whirling. _What's happening to me?_ I want to punch someone! HELL! I want to get this out! I want to scream! But I can't…

I glanced at the farthest corner of the pub; it was where I saw them. They were in deep conversation. She was talking to him and he was staring at her very intently. _UGH! I can't take this! I can't_ _look at them._ Something in my chest roared and ached. It was like feeling anger and hurt at the same time. It was nothing I've ever felt before.

I was about to look away when I saw her smile sweetly and heard her laugh. My heart cracked, there goes my last hope. I was hoping that she wasn't happy to see him tonight. Taking into account her expression when he talked to her a moment ago, I thought she was rather pissed off. But seeing her now, it was like the whole world fell on my chest. She was enjoying his company and it hurt so much more than hell.

I can't take it anymore. I returned my eyes to the glass in my hand and let the scorching hurt in my heart to overcome my physical and mental attention. It was really nothing I've ever experienced in my whole life. Yes, I did in fact felt down whenever I remember my parents; how I lost them before I even met them was so much hurting. But this was no comparison, this was much worse. This woe I'm experiencing right now while the girl I love spoke with that dumb pumpkin head felt like loosing my parents a hundred times.

I was in deep musing when somebody spoke and called my name. Out of reflex action, I turned around to find out who it was. It was then that my lips came in contact of another. A soft, sweet and familiar set of full lips. I was surprised and I instantly grabbed the girl's shoulders and pulled her away.

"Cho! What the heck are you doing?" I asked the witch in front me. She smiled sweetly and sat beside me. She hooked her arm in mine and held my hand enclosed in hers.

"What? What's wrong with kissing my boy friend? Is that illegal now, Harry?" she smiled again and claimed my lips one more time. I was faster this time. I pulled her away at the instant her lips brushed softly against mine.

"Cho, we're done, and you know that. I don't want you anymore!" I snatched my hand back and unhooked her arm from mine. She frowned and furrowed her perfectly arched eye brows.

I was perfectly sure that she was going to shout at me for my rejection. But I was surprised at what she did. Her hand swung and slapped my cheek. It did hurt, but what really bothered me, was her next reaction. She fell into her seat and cried. She broke down, wept and shook uncontrollably beside me.

Cho's POV

"Cho, we're done, and you know that. I don't want you anymore!" Harry said as he snatched his hand back and unhooked my arm from his. Of course I know that, and I don't want him too. I'm too gorgeous for him. I accept that, but my pride can't! _He rejected me in front of all these people. I can't take this humiliation. I have to do something, he'll see. Oh, this is going to be exciting!_

I frowned dramatically as part of my plan. I slapped him and crashed into my seat while shaking and crying. _Let's see what you'll do with that, Mr. Scar Head._ I thought as I went on with my plan of displaying my award-winning talent in acting.

"Cho, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I didn't mean it like that, trust me. You know what I mean Cho. I just… meant that I don't deserve you. You deserve someone better. You're too good for me." Harry consoled my fake depression. He sat beside me and hugged me. _Oh, Yeah! I'm too damn perfect for you. I just toyed with you, moron! _My full-of-pride mind thought back at him.

"I'm sorry Cho. It's not that I don't love you. It's just that I love someone else. You know that, don't you? We've already talked about this. I love her and you already know about that." Harry continued his monologue. _Oh, so that's it? You rejected me for Granger? You stepped on my pride because of that know-it-all. I won't let you be happy with her._ I thought as I continued plotting an evil scheme to drive them away from each other.

"Can't you see Harry? She's happy with Victor. I know you saw a while ago that she was laughing with him. Don't be stupid! She's enjoying his company. She likes him and you'll just be a BEST FRIEND no matter what. You're no comparison against him, face it Harry." I said in between my sobs, finally ending his nonsense monologue.

He seemed to be angered by my statement. He grew red and dropped his hold on me. I thought he was gonna yell at me but then his expression changed from anger to jealousy and to hurt.

"I know…I know that I'll just be rejected. I've known that for a long time already. That's why I can't admit it to her. I'll just be miserable like this while they live happily ever after. And believe it or not, I'm not intending on making her life miserable by taking her away from him. If she's happy with him, then, let it be." He said. I could swear I could see a sparkling tear in one of his eyes. _I'm done; I already made you so miserable. I'm already satisfied with the results. And now, for the finale…_

"You'll just keep hushed, Harry! You just hurt me for nothing!" I yelled at him and made sure that everybody in the pub heard it. "Cho forgive me, please. I'm begging you. I'm really, really sorry." He begged. "It's too late Harry. You already did it. You already crushed my heart and you did it for nothing! You'll never be happy, Harry!" I shouted again and ran away while crying.

I saw him fell into his seat after I left. From a distance, I kept watch on him in a dark corner of the pub where nobody noticed me. I stayed there, watching what he's going to do after our confrontation. He remained silent in his seat for a few moments and then I saw him cry. He sobbed uncontrollably and after that he threw the glasses in front of him and it shattered on the floor. He threw aside all of the tables in front of him and shouted. He can't hold it anymore.

It was evident in his face a while ago that he was angry and jealous with Victor. He looked like he was blaming the whole world and he wanted to yell, he just controlled himself. But now, he can't hold it any longer. He made a scene and shouted and yelled and threw things around.

He continued what he was doing and the people just stared at him. They were probably surprised that the great Harry Potter would throw a tantrum in this kind of public place. No one dared to stop him. Everybody looked scared to go near him.

But at that moment, someone dared. She walked towards him and tossed everything that Harry was throwing and hugged him. It was that know-it-all witch. She was beside him, ready to save him once again.

That was it, I've done my part. I walked out of the pub and left behind the scene that I was responsible of. I wasn't guilty for what I've done. I know that he loves her more than anyone, and I'm not dumb to not notice that she was feeling the same towards him. Harry was just a moron to be oblivious to it. But even so, I don't care. I lost my boyfriend. Even though I don't love him, I don't want to lose someone to toy with. But it's too late, he's gone already. So, I'll let them suffer for it. _I will never let them be happy._

Hermione's POV

"Uhhm, Harry, what's wrong? Why are you staring like that? Hey, easy. I don't mean any harm!" Victor's voice was trembling. He turned to me and asked "Apparently, you've already told him about it. That's why he's like this, I s'pose?"I gasped at Victor's question and I elbowed him. "Come with me…" I said as I pulled him to the farthest corner of the pub, away from other people's ear shots.

"What, the heck, do you think you're doing, Victor?" I asked him, almost yelling. I was pertaining to what he said a while ago in front of Harry.

"What? I'm sorry. I thought you already told him about your feelings. The war's over and we all can live peacefully now. Why don't you just tell him your feelings, Hermione? This is the right time to do it." He asked back, concern evident in his brown eyes.

"I won't tell him. I won't risk our friendship. It might destroy us, Victor." I answered.

"But you won't know that unless you try." He explained back.

"Our friendship is NOT a game of chances Victor, I won't risk it. What if he doesn't feel the same? Our friendship will be destroyed. I love him more than anybody, Victor and I can't live without him. I'd rather be just a BEST FRIEND than nothing at all." I explained to him. I was close to tears already and he saw it. He decided it's time to let go of the matter.

"Okay. I get your point. I'm sorry Hermione. I won't open the topic again. Uhhhm, would you like to hear about my latest match, instead?" He said, trying to cheer me up. I smiled at him for the effort.

He had been a great friend to me. He's the only one who knows about my love towards Harry. He's the only one I decided to confide my feelings with.

Our conversation went on and on and occasionally, I'll laugh at his jokes. Time passed by, but the whole time I was having a talk with him, my mind is being occupied by another person.

_Where is he? I wonder what happened to him, I hope he's okay by now._ I thought as I look back at the place where Victor and I left Harry. I saw him still seated in the same chair, and he was all alone. _Where could Ron be? Ugh! He left him at a time like this? What kind of friend is he?_ I thought as I stared at him. _Well, I guess I'm no difference, I also left him. What kind of friend am I? I better go back to him. He needs me. _I decided at last.

"Hellloooo? Hermioooneeee? Earth to Hermione, over?" Victor called my attention and waved his hand back and forth in front of my face.

"Oh. Yeah I'm Okay, sorry 'bout that." I apologized and glanced again at Harry.

I was about to tell Victor that I'm going back to keep Harry company when I caught sight of a girl approaching him. I was taken aback when I recognized the girl. It was Cho Chang, Harry's girl friend. My heart thumped loudly and I felt the familiar searing pain in my chest once again.

As if the hurt of seeing her walking towards him and planning to spend time with him wasn't enough, I saw her kiss him. The hurt I was feeling a while ago seemed like a touch of feather compared to what I felt after I saw their lips met. It felt like my heart was being set-up in fire. I looked away and met Victor's eyes. He wasn't oblivious to my agony and I know it. He noticed the pain in my face and instantly knew that I was being emotionally tortured.

"It's okay Hermione, I know what you're feeling. I'll let you cry if it'll make you feel better." Victor consoled and hugged me. It felt comforting. The ache started to lighten but I know it will never fade no matter how long Victor hugs me. Only his arms can chase the hurt away.

Victor was still comforting me when I heard a snapping sound followed by a sharp intake of breath.

"Did she just… Did she just slap him!" Victor said, surprise, evident in his voice. He was staring at the two. I gazed at the direction once more and saw that Cho was crying and Harry's eyes were unfocused. _She slapped him? There's something wrong? So that's why Harry seemed off today. It was because of her. His heart was broken._ I thought to myself.

I watched the scene along with a number of wizards in the pub. I can't make out what they were talking about because they were too far away. But I'm quite sure it wasn't a good conversation. Harry hugged her and muttered something while he stared apologetically at her.

I stared at them intently while he comforted her. And there goes the pain again. It seared my heart once more and I shuddered at the painful sting.

Victor noticed that I was shaking slightly and knew that what I was seeing was hurting me and he tightened his hold on me. I tried to tone down my shuddering and refocused my attention at them. _I might as well get used to this pain. I will surely be living with this forever. _I thought as I watched them again.

They continued to talk and she stopped crying. I thought things were being settled down between them, until I heard her shout.

"You'll just keep hushed, Harry! You just hurt me for nothing!" I heard Cho yell. Harry looked apologetically at her once more and based on the movement of his mouth, I'm pretty sure he said sorry. "It's too late Harry. You already did it. You already crushed my heart and you did it for nothing! You'll never be happy, Harry!" She shouted at him yet again and ran away while crying.

I was expecting Harry to run after her, but he just remained standing. His unfocused eyes were staring blankly into nothing. Then, he blew up. He threw everything in front of him and tossed all the tables. The people around him just stared at him. Too surprised and too afraid to go near him.

"Hermione, I think you better-"I heard Victor's suggestion; but I don't need encouragement anymore. I started walking towards him. I can't stand looking at him like this and doing nothing. I love him and I'm hurt whenever Cho hurts him, but I can disregard my own feelings just for him. I don't care if he wants her. I don't care if it hurts so much for me. All I know is that he needs me and I love him.

I was able to prevent myself from being hit by the things he was throwing around while I walk towards him. When I was near enough, I hugged him.

"Harry, it's okay. Calm down, please." I pleaded him. I can't hold my tears any longer. I started crying silently but kept my arms around him while he calmed down.

"What are you doing in here? Just go back to your Victor!" He shouted and shook me off. I tightened my hold on him even more.

"What are you talking about Harry?" I asked, tears still streaming down my face. He tried to shake me away again. I let him go and wiped my tears off. I can't let him see me crying.

He faced me and looked intently in my eyes. I tried my best to hide the hurt and pain I was feeling. He just stared and remained uncaring. Either my fake façade was working or he just doesn't care about me, I don't know anymore. I don't care anymore. I'll deal with the pain later. Now, I need to get him away from here.

"Harry we're going home. You're attracting attention. Let's go. I'll side you along." I said as softly as I can, trying to hide my hoarse voice. I held his hand and led him at a far corner of the pub. I plan to dispparate and I'll just side him along.

"I don't need you! Go back to your Victor! You love him don't you? He's more important than me so do me a favor and go away!" He shouted and tears spilled down his eyes. I felt my heart being squeezed and my own tears streamed down. _You moron! You're the one I love! You're just too dumb to notice! Why are you doing this to me?_ I wanted to shout my heart out to him. I want to tell him how miserable he's turning me into. I want him to know how much I love him and how much he's hurting me every single day that he looks at me as a friend. I want him to know everything, but just like before, I can't. I will remain like this forever.

"You're drunk Harry! Listen to me! Let's go!" I shouted back at him while I cry. I tugged at him again but he pulled his arm back.

"No! Go home yourself! I'm not going with you! I'M NOT DRUNK! Go away Hermione! Just… GO… AWAY!" He shouted again as he started walking way.

"Enough of this, Harry! I've had enough! You're going home with me whether you like or not!" I followed him and got hold of his arm. The moment I touched him, I started to disapparate. And with a flick of light, we were gone.

AN: It's done! Sorry if it took so long. I had my exams so I wasn't able to use my computer for a while. I apologize for the delay. It's kinda long. Hope you like it though! Tell me what you think. REVIEW Please!


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I don't own HP. I'm not JK Rowling. I'm not that awesome, otherwise, I'll be rich by now if I owned Harry Potter, but I don't. Oh well, I'll just run along now. Dup dee dup dee dup.

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Chapter 4

Hermione felt queasiness in her stomach followed by a quiet pop and a spectacle of bright light before her feet came in contact of a steady landing. She instantly let go of her hold on Harry and took a step back to provide a space between them.

Harry felt the same nauseous feeling and saw the similar blinding light that immediately faded. He instantly looked around to check where they are. He failed to see anything due to the darkness of the area. But he didn't need any light to realize where he's standing that very moment. He already knew the place too well. They apparated straight into Harry's room, anger surged inside him.

"I thought I told you that I didn't want to go home!!" Harry yelled in Hermione's direction. Dim light is now starting to flow inside the room from the window allowing them to see each other's silhouette.

"You're drunk Harry. You're already making a scene out there." Hermione murmured, her voice cracking. She was now sitting in Harry's bed. Tears are streaming down her cheeks. But she didn't want Harry to know about that. She stifled her sobs and kept her head down.

"How many times do I have to tell you?!! I'm NOT DRUNK! Why do you always have to interfere with my life? I'm not interfering with yours, so don't mess with mine! JUST GO BACK TO YOUR VICTOR!! He's so much important for you! Just leave me ALONE!" Harry bellowed. Of course he's not drunk. He hasn't even finished his first glass of fire whiskey. He's not drunk with alcohol, but rather, intoxicated beyond measure with jealousy and anger. He wanted to scream his heart out. And apparently, he did—in front of Hermione.

That was it. Hermione can't take it anymore. After caring about him and bringing him home, this is what she gets? She wiped her tears away, stood and faced him. Her face, a mask of fake anger. She tried her best to hide the hurt she was feeling and she succeeded. Harry didn't even notice that she had been crying a while ago.

"Why do you keep saying that?!!! Why don't you just thank me and get over it?! I was just caring for you, for your reputation!! You were making a scene and apparently, making a FOOL of yourself out there." Hermione yelled back at him. Her voice bringing the pretense of being brave rather than hurt. They were now standing in front of each other, their noses only inches away from one another.

"So that's it? You care for my reputation? That's why? Well let me tell you something. I DON'T CARE about my reputation. Okay, I'm sorry if I'm not as presentable and respectable as your lovey dovey Victor okay?! Is that good enough for you?" Harry shouted back at her. Anger, finally taking control of his whole mind. Hermione just stared at her the whole time he was shouting at her—disbelief flooding her eyes. And then suddenly…

Hermione's hand flung and slapped Harry's face, the snap filling the now silent room. Hermione covered her face with her hands and silent tears started streaming down her face again.

Harry's face was a shadow of surprise. He remained unmoving for a few seconds, still unbelieving of what she just did.

After a while of eerie silence, "Go away. I don't need you. Leave me alone." Harry murmured, finally recovering from his shock._ I guess you can't bear to hear unkind words for your Victor. I guess I really am less important._ Harry thought as he made his way to a far corner of his room.

Hermione fell down on Harry's bed and not being able to hold back anymore, sobbed and cried. _Why do you always have to bring Victor up? You moron! You're the one I love for crying out loud! I care for you. I love you. _Hermione thought while she cried and shook uncontrollably. Her sobs echoing in the walls of Harry's room during the silence of the night.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks the instant he heard Hermione's sobs. He flinched with every weep. It felt like knives were struck in his heart with her every moan of hurt. All anger were shoved away from him and made him think about what he had done. He had made her cry. He had hurt her. What was he thinking?

He ran back at her direction and sat beside her---panic overwhelming him. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I didn't mean any of it. It's not what you think. I'm sorry. Please stop crying. Please Hermione. I'm sorry." Harry plead at her. He was now in front of her and his arms were around her. Stroking her hair while his hands were shaking.

"You don't have to feel guilty Harry. It's okay. You were right. I shouldn't interfere with your life. Don't worry, I won't mess with your life again." Hermione said in between her sobs. Her hands were still covering her face muffling her voice.

"No! That's not what I want Hermione. I was wrong. I'm sorry. Please stop saying that. I need you. I don't want you out my life. You're my best friend, I need you." He said continuously. He flinched when he said best friend--he wanted more than that. But it just can't be.

Hermione's sobs just got louder and she shook worse after what Harry had said. And that made him panic even more. He didn't know what to do. "Please stop crying Hermione. I don't want to see you cry. I'm sorry." He said, holding her wrists.

He can't think of anything anymore. He can't bear to see her cry, yet, she still wouldn't stop weeping. So that leaves him no choice. "Hermione please stop crying." He soothingly murmured while he held her wrist and slowly pulled it away from her face. Her face was damped with tears, but still beautiful in the moon light shining in her face. He wiped her tears away and she flinched at the touch. They stared into each other's eyes, and when Hermione's eyes threatened to well up with tears again, Harry didn't think twice anymore. He can't let that happen again. He kissed her.

Their lips met and it was like heaven. It was nothing like Harry's past kisses. It was like his first kiss again, only tons better. Her lips tasted so sweet, and it was so soft against his. At first, Hermione's lips were unmoving, but after a few moments, it started moving with his. It was like their lips were moving in a sweet symphony. And it was surely nothing they have ever felt before.

Harry planned the kiss to be soothing and comforting—something to make to make her stop crying. But now that he had already felt the lips he was dreaming about kissing years ago, the comforting became needing. Their lips continued moving with harmony but with more intent. It deepened with every moment passing. He held her waist tightly and her hands wounded slowly to his chest and crawled in his neck, locking her fingers in his jet black hair. And after what felt like hours, they broke apart—both breathing heavily.

Harry stared in her eyes the moment they broke apart. He tucked a loose lock of her hair behind her ear. And wiped her wet cheeks. He held her face in his one hand and the other remained in her waist. They were facing each other now and staring into each other's eyes.

Staring in her eyes just made Harry's needing intensify more. Their bodies were close to each other and he can feel the heat coming from her slim body. He held her closer to him. "So, would you stop crying now?" Harry asked her. While playing with a lock of her hair.

"Harry, I'll tell you something. Harry, I'm—" Hermione started but she was cut off by Harry's kiss.

"Ssssh." Harry told after he pulled away and he stared in her red lips. _I don't want to hear that word again. I won't let you say you're sorry. You have nothing to be sorry about. _Harry thought to himself, thinking that Hermione was probably going to say 'I'm SORRY'. (A/N: yeah. Yeah. He's dumb. And of course he's wrong. Hermione's not going to say she's sorry. She's trying to tell him something else. Dummy Harry. )

_Okay. I was going to tell you I love you. But, oh well, that could wait in the morning._ She thought to herself as she leaned closer to Harry once more and again, their lips met with the same intent and needing.(A/N: MORNING? Hmmm. What's silly Hermione thinking about now? Naughty girl. )

They kissed once more and this time, there were no hesitations, only needing. The kiss deepened even more and Harry's hands wound its way in Hermione's back—just soothing her there. Hermione's hands crawled down to Harry's chest and Harry laid her down in the bed, his hand shifting from soothing her back to settling in her stomach. Their hands both crawled lower, and lower and lower as they both laid in the bed…

* * *

AN: I don't know how I did in this part. I'll just let you judge. So what do you think? So that's it. I'll just let your imaginations take over from where I left the story. You get the idea right? The SOMETHING they did that they might or might not regret someday. You guys are geniuses. I know you get it. Haha! Just let me know of what you think. Push the green button and review. And by the way guys, do you like this story? It kinda took me a long time to resume writing because I'm working on a Percy Jackson story plot and I don't know if I should continue this one. What do you think? Just tell me if you want me to continue this story. Review please and tell me what to do. No flames please. I beg you. Spare me of flames please. THANKS! REVIEW.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I was not the most awesome writer in the whole muggle world! So naturally, I don't own Harry Potter. Although... I wish I do.

Chapter 5

Hermione's POV

I woke up with the bright light coming from the open window. The light was burning through my eyelids. With my eyes still closed, I turned and reached beside me to hug Harry. But my hand touched only the sheets.

My eyes shot open and I got up. Clutching the sheets to cover my body, I squinted around Harry's room in Grimmauld Place and found out that Harry was nowhere to be seen. I rubbed sleep out of my eyes and stared at the sheets for a while. _Was it real?_ I asked myself. _Or was it all a dream?_ I remembered the things that happened last night and I smiled to myself.

I got up and picked my clothes that were piled neatly in the corner of the bed. I got dressed silently and made my way to the door – deciding that Harry must be downstairs in the kitchen or in the sitting room waiting for me.

As I walked to the door, a strong gust of wind blew through the window. Harry's closet doors playfully opened and closed in synchronization with the wind. It was only then that I realized that the closet was not closed firmly at all. Curiosity got the better of me and I walked in front of the closet and I was surprised at what I saw.

The closet was empty, not a single clothing was there. My heart raced in my chest and that was when it hit me.

FLASHBACK!

"Whass iss itch Hawwy?" Ron asked Harry – his mouth overloading with food – one day while we were eating at a muggle pub in London. We wanted to stay away from the Wizarding world for a little while. It was so exhausting with the press from The Daily Prophet following you around and taking pictures all the time, trying to get a big scoop about the Chosen One. So we decided to go out to muggle London for a change.

"Ron, will you swallow your food first? You're disgusting." I said while crunching my nose up and furrowing my eyebrows. A look of disgust was plastered onto my face.

Harry laughed at me and hit Ron's back, causing him to spit the food he was swallowing. Harry just laughed harder and Ron hit him in the arm playfully and laughed with him. Looking at them made me smile as well. This was the life the three of us wanted to live. This was what we wanted that's why we struggled to find Voldemort's horcruxes prior to his defeat. The life we dreamed of and we have it now, thanks to all those who gave their lives to make the world a better place to live in – both the muggle and the Wizarding world.

It turned out that I was dazed quite longer than I thought. Because when I shook my head to go back to reality, both of them were looking at me with malicious grins in their faces.

"What?" I asked them, crossing my arms. They looked at each other and continued to laugh. Staring at their carefree faces while laughing their lungs out made me laugh as well. We sat there for a long moment, laughing and not caring about the world and just enjoying ourselves for the first time in what seemed like centuries.

"Seriously though, I have to tell you guys something." Harry said, suddenly becoming serious. Ron and I sat properly in our seats and became serious as well.

"Go on, mate. What is it?" Ron asked when Harry hesitated to continue.

"Uhhhm. Okay, here it goes. I'm going to France next week." said Harry and he looked at us expectantly, waiting to find out who would be the first to ask him why.

I was taken aback. Why is he leaving? The war has just ended. Why does he have to leave? I have so many questions I wanted to ask him but my voice already trembled when I voice out the first. "W-w-why?"

"Ahhhm. Well, uhhh. I'll just visit the place and ahhhh. Cho will be coming with me? Yeah, that's right. We're visiting there together and McGonagall's gonna take us there. That's it." He said. It sounded like more of a question that an answer. My heart skipped a beat and I felt a sting in my chest as my eyes stung as well.

"Oh. Only the two of you?" I croaked. I tried my very best to hide the hurt in my voice but I don't think I did a very good job, because Ron looked worriedly at me.

"Ahhhh. Yeah, kinda." He answered me and sadness was visible in his eyes. I didn't know why but the look on his face suggested that he likes this no more than I do. I just hope that I'm right.

END OF FLASHBACK!

My heart ached as I remembered that scene. It appears that I was wrong and I bet that he was just sad because maybe at that time, they were already having quarrels that lead to their break-up last night and to what happened between us after that. _Could it be that he regretted last night with me and realized that he can't live without her? Had he gone to set things right between them and just leave me here? Could I just let him go like that? Will I let myself be his rebound girl?_

Tears started to pour down my face as I thought of that possibility and I ran desperately down the stairs with a little tinge of hope that he was just waiting for me somewhere in the house.

I searched the first floor and found out that he was neither sitting in the table in the kitchen nor his favorite armchair in the sitting room. I gave up and slumped myself on the floor near the foot of the couch. I cried, sobbed and cried some more. Was it really just a mistake? Was I just his dumb pastime? It hurts to think about it but it is what it seems to be. I continued to cry but abruptly stopped when I heard movement across the room. I looked up – expecting to find Harry and my heart ached yet again when I saw Kreacher instead of him.

"Why is my Master Harry's best friend crying?" he asked. I flinched when he said 'best friend'. He's right. I'm just a BEST FRIEND – not a girlfriend. I wiped my cheeks and gestured him to come closer.

"Kreacher, can you please tell me where your Master Harry is?" I asked him.

"Master packed his luggage and left a moment ago." He explained to me. Even if he doesn't like me that much, I swear I saw worry in his eyes while he talked to me.

"Do you know where he went?" I continued to interrogate the house elf.

"To France miss."

"Do you know why?" Harry had already told us why but for the first time, I really hope that he just lied to us.

"Kreacher does not know miss. Kreacher is very sorry." He answered and looked down.

"Oh. I see. It's okay." I said as I looked back at the fire place.

"Kreacher really is sorry miss. Would Miss Granger mind if Kreacher would go now to clean the house?" he asked while wringing his wrists.

"Of course not. You can go. Thank you very much Kreacher." I said and patted his head lightly. He bowed and with a loud crack, he was gone.

I was alone once again. Sadness threatened to overwhelm me once more. I decided to stand up and went in front of the fire place. I remembered Harry telling us that McGonagall would be helping them get to France. Kreacher said he just left a moment ago. Maybe I can still catch him.I scooped a fistful of floo powder from the pot and sat back in front of the fireplace.

"McGonagall's office. Hogwarts!" I shouted and threw the floo powder in the grate. Green flame blazed and the image of the Headmistress' office in the school castle showed up in the fire. Taking a deep breath, I braced myself and moved closer to the blaze. I enclosed my face in the fire, it was not hot but rather warm. Once the fire had engulfed my face, I found myself staring at the Headmistress' office at Hogwarts.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that someone stood up and made her way to where my head popped out. And to my dismay, it was her.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER. DON'T SUE ME! PEACE!

Chapter 6

Cho's POV:

"Professor McGonagall, what would Harry and I be doing in France?" I asked the headmistress while we are alone in her office. Today, Harry and I are going to depart to France for a certain mission that we still didn't know.

"Ms. Chang, haven't I mentioned yet? You and Mr. Potter will go to France together but you won't be staying there together. From the place where I'll send you with the help of a port key, you will go on different places for different errands. Mr. Potter will be doing a favor for the Ministry – which is a very top secret - and you will be arranging an errand for the school." The headmistress finished.

I raised an eyebrow and asked. "For the school? What exactly is it?"

"I know that you've heard about the vacant post of defense against the dark arts teacher, am I correct? Since Mr. Potter can't accept the job because of the mission he will be doing for the ministry, we looked for another wizard and we found the most perfect one. But he just won't accept the offer." The headmistress explained to me.

"Why not? Being requested by the school's faculty is a rare opportunity. Who is this guy, anyway?" I asked her. Who can this guy be? Only a proud person can turn down a school like Hogwarts. What an idiot. He's turning down an offer that I, myself am dreaming to be offered. I hate him, whoever he is!

"I can't tell you now Miss Chang. But you'll find out soon enough. We're counting on you. We know that you can convince him." McGonagall said with a smile.

"How do you know that Professor?" I asked her.

"I just know Miss Chang, trust me." McGonagall said and she winked at me. Wow, that was creepy.

I just kept silent after that and thought about who that proud guy might be. After moments of silence, we both saw green light from the fire place. When we turned our gaze to the hearth, we found Harry stumbling from the grate, clutching all his luggage.

"Mr. Potter, ready to go?" McGonagall asked Harry and walked towards him.

"Not yet Professor. I would like to know what my task is. So that I can tell Hermione first before leaving. You won't mind that, would you Professor? I'm sure she'll keep it a secret too. I just don't want her to worry." Harry inquired.

"Very well Mr. Potter. Wait here and I'll just get the letter." The headmistress made her way up the stairs and disappeared when she entered her room.

"You would tell me too Harry, won't you?" I asked him. I would love to know what that mission is.

"I can't. It's a secret, Cho. I'm really sorry." He answered me with an apologetic face and walked closer to where I'm standing.

"What? But you would tell that stupid muggleborn? I'm your companion on this quest, Harry. I would like to know what it is!" I shouted at him and I seemed to have angered him because his eyebrows crunched up, his lips twitched and his face turned red.

"You don't have the right to call her stupid, Cho! She didn't do anything bad to you. I love her and I won't let you insult her! You know what? I was planning to apologize to you about last night. But it seems like you don't deserve it. We're going to France together. But we're not staying there together. I know you have a different purpose on going there. I won't butt in your mission. So, mind your own business, Cho!" he shouted back.

I felt like my heart was being pinched at what he said. It was then that I realized the reason why I don't want to let him be happy with Hermione. It's the same as why I still want to call him mine. And I was wrong before when I thought that I just wanted to toy with him. Because as I stand before him now and heard those words from him – tears flowing down my face and my heart ached – I realized that in reality, I was in love with Harry.

"What's happening?" Professor McGonagall chose that moment to show up again. Clutching a letter with the Ministry seal with one hand, she made her way down the stairs and stood beside me and Harry. I wiped my tear-streaked face immediately and answered her.

"Nothing Professor. We were just talking." I said and I turned my back on Harry and walked towards the stairs to sit on the lowest step and hide myself in the shadows.

"If you say so. Let's go Mr. Potter. Let's talk about your assignment. Come with me." The headmistress looked like she wanted to ask more but thought better of it. She gave me a concerned look and ushered a still-slightly-shaking Harry out of the room.

Moments passed while I cried silently and hid in the shadows. A while later, a head popped in the fire place so I quickly wiped my tears away, stood up and walked towards the fireplace.

"Cho?" she asked me, her eyes widening in bewilderment. I sat in front of the fire and composed myself. I should not let her see me crying.

"Oh. Hermione, what made you call? Is there a problem?" I asked innocently. Although, I already know the reason.

"N-n-nothing. I was just dropping by. Y-y-you're going together in France?" she stuttered, her face turning red and tears welling up in her eyes.

"You mean Harry? Yes. We were just leaving. He's just arranging our luggage and then we will be going. Are you at Grimmauld Place?" I asked her.

"Y-y-yes" She stuttered again. So, I was right. She spent the night with Harry. Tears threatened to well up in my eyes as well. But I have to keep my composure so I shifted my sitting position and kneeled instead in front of the grate.

"Oh. I'll be the one to apologize in behalf of Harry if he didn't tell you that we're leaving. He came to my house before coming here and he apologized about our fight last night. I'm sorry if he ignored you." I lied to her. _I'm sorry Hermione. We both love him and I can't lose him to you._ _It's better for me if you're the one to let him go. _I thought as I lied to her.

"I-i-it's okay. You two have fun. Don't tell Harry that I dropped by. I have to go. Bye." She said, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. I nodded and her head disappeared from the emerald flames.

Moments later, Harry and Professor McGonagall showed up and she gave me a questioning look.

"I thought I dropped something." I answered her unspoken question. I stood up and sat at the bottom stair again.

"Professor, I'll just go back at Grimmauld Place for a minute to say goodbye to Hermione and Kreacher. I'll be back and then we can go." Said Harry. The Headmistress nodded and he walked towards the fire place and scooped a fistful of floo powder.

"Number 12 Grimmauld Place!" He shouted as he threw the floo powder in the grate. Green flames blazed once more in the fire place and after giving me a sad glance, he stepped onto it. He was gone along with the flame moments after.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys. I uploaded two chapters to make up for the long wait. I'm really sorry. Please review and tell me what you think. I have 1000 hits. So, having only 4 reviews is kind of saddening. It would be more inspiring if you would review. Please I'm begging you! Click that green button down there! PLEASE! AHAHAHAHA! Arigatou! Sayonara!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer:

Me: JK! Look, I made you a pudding. Now, will you give me the rights to HP?

JK: Sorry, I won't. I hate pudding and I love pies. Bwahahaha!

Me: Awww man! I don't own HP!

3rd Person POV:

Hermione slumped down the floor when the blaze died down. During the whole conversation, her heart was racing in her chest. She tried her best to resist crying in front of Cho, she can't afford to break down in front of her. She won't let that happen. But as she sat in front of the fire place, completely alone, she didn't hold it anymore. After all, there's no one there to see her. So she set her tears free and let them flow down her red cheeks.

_There's no hope anymore. They're back together and not only that, they're also leaving together and going to Merlin-knows-where. He just toyed with me. Why are you so dumb Hermione? How can you let him hurt you like that? _She thought to herself as she cried.

She sighed; of course she can't blame him. He didn't even force her – she gave herself to him and that's just so dumb of her. "I can blame no one but myself." She mumbled to herself as her shoulders shook.

She was a wreck and she was distraught. Luckily, no one was there to see how miserable she was and how pitiful she looked like – just sitting there, shaking uncontrollably and crying for a guy who only thought of her as a friend, but unluckily, no one was there to comfort her also.

She thought of all her friends whom she needed right now. Their comforting shoulders and soothing caresses are what she desperately needed. But they were all gone; Ron didn't go home last night (A/N: Ron also lives there, all three of them. ) and she didn't know where the bloody hell he is. Ginny went to Holyhead a few days ago to meet up with Gwenog Jones and she also didn't know where she's staying. Her parents are living somewhere in Australia and under a memory charm that she conjured to protect them from Voldemort. And lastly, Harry. He was the one she dreadfully needed right now. She needs him to console and tell her that Cho was lying and she was really the one that he loves. But that's impossible now. Harry isn't gonna be there for her anymore.

_This is my punishment for forcing myself to him. Why the fudge did I give in? This is what Viktor and I were arguing about last night. How dumb of me! Why did I assume that he would like me back? I knew it from the start and yet, I gave in. I hate myself! _Her mind shouted at her and she cried even more, until…

She gasped and mumbled "Viktor" As soon as she thought about the Bulgarian, she realized that she was not completely alone. There's still someone who can be there for her. Someone who knew and understood her well enough. A friend who'll listen and she knows exactly where to find him.

She wiped her tear-streaked face and got up. She turned on the spot and darkness engulfed her as she disapparated.

As usual, apparating was as nauseous as ever and after being squeezed in darkness – feeling like her stomach was being punched and twisted – she saw an oh-so-familiar blinding light and her feet landed flatly on a doorstep. Her hand trembled as she lifted it and rang the doorbell.

After several long minutes of waiting and shaking, the door opened and puked a rather surprised looking Viktor Krum.

"Hermione? What brought you here? Wait, why are your eyes red? What the hell happened Hermione?" he asked her, his surprised face morphing into a worried one.

Instead of answering, Hermione hugged him tightly and cried in the nook of his neck like there's no tomorrow. He hugged her in return and wrapped his arms around her torso and behind her knees. He lifted the crying lady gently from the ground and carried her inside the house.

Once they were inside, he carried her to the sitting room and carefully settled her down on the sofa. He sat beside her, hooked his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.

The both of them felt that there was no need for words at that moment. She just cried and he comforted her by running his hand – the one connected to the arm that is hooked in her shoulder – up and down her arm while holding her hand firmly with the other.

After more minutes of staying in that position, Hermione's shaking and frantic crying were shifted into heavy breathing and small sobs. Viktor took it as a chance to ask her again. "Hermione, why are you crying?"

She looked up to his face and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Viktor. I don't know what I would do. Everyone's gone and I don't know where to find them. I have nowhere else to go. Thank you for being here for me."

"You can always count on me, Hermione. That's what friends are for. But do tell me, what happened? Why are you like this?" He inquired once more. Although, he already knew that it has something to do with Harry. Only Harry can make her miserable like this.

Hermione straightened her posture and suddenly developed interest in her shoes. She stared at her shoes while she told him everything that happened starting from the incident when she woke up until the conversation she had with Cho only a while ago. And as expected of him, he listened to her whole-heartedly, his hand not leaving hers and giving it a slight squeeze every time she stiffens…


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I told you! I don't own HP! How annoying could you get? Now, run along and play with your dolls. :)

Chapter 8:

3rd Person POV:

…Back at Grimmauld Place, merely 5 seconds after Hermione had disapparated…

Harry stumbled clumsily out of the fire place of his house at Grimmauld Place. He stood up and pointed his wand at his shirt and with a blink of an eye, his shirt became clean and spotless. "Ah! I love magic." He mumbled to himself with a grin and darted to the stairs leading to the third floor where his room was located.

He stopped sprinting at the moment he spotted his door and walked slowly until he was directly in front of it. He placed his hand on the door knob, twisted it and ever-so-silently pushed it open.

He peeked inside, expecting to find Hermione sleeping soundly in his bed. But instead, he found it empty. He entered the room and looked around. He made his way to the bath room and searched if Hermione was there. To his utter confusion, the bathroom was also empty.

"Where is she?" he asked himself as he turned around and walked back towards the door. He descended the stairs slowly. As soon as he was on the second floor, he heard a rustling sound in one of the rooms. Smiling to himself, he opened the door to the room and looked around – once again, expecting Hermione.

The room was quite dark. The windows were closed. As he looked around, he realized that it was wrecked and things were scattered everywhere. In the corner of the room, he spotted a dark silhouette.

His eyebrows furrowed at the sight of this stout figure. _That can't be Hermione! Yeah, she's not tall but she's not that short._ He thought to himself.

"Who are you?" He asked – a bit louder than necessary – as he pointed his wand at the mysterious person. The stout figure jumped slightly in surprise when he heard Harry's voice.

"It's Kreacher, Master." The house elf muttered as he turned around, head bowed and slightly shaking.

"Oh. Sorry for surprising you. I didn't expect you cleaning this early. Why didn't you open the window? I thought you were a burglar. Next time, open the windows, Kreacher. It'll help you to see clearer." He said at the house elf. _Oh well, that explains his stout figure. _He thought to himself with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Master. Kreacher will keep that in mind next time." He replied with a low bow.

"It's okay, Kreacher. Do you know where Hermione is? I left her a while ago at my room. But she's not there anymore. Have you seen her?" he asked as he knelt in front of the house elf and patted his head.

"She's in the sitting room, Master. She was-"Kreacher said. But he was cut off mid sentence when Harry got up and went to the door and sprinted down the stairs. "Thanks, Kreacher!" He heard his master shout from downstairs.

"…was crying and looking for you a while ago, Master" He finished his sentence but his master was too far to hear it now. He shrugged, opened the window and continued cleaning the trashed room.

_That can't be right. She wasn't in the sitting room when I arrived. Oh well, Kreacher doesn't know. Might as well find her myself._ He reasoned as he ran towards the kitchen. He spent the next minute looking around the kitchen and the next room where the Black Family Tree was located. But still, she was not there.

"Hmmm. Where could she be? Did she leave the house?" He asked himself. What can he do to find where Hermione was? That's when the idea of the mirror came to him.

"The Mirror." He mumbled to himself. He ran back towards the third floor and entered the room next to his.

The room was a bit dark but there was a bit of light coming from the half open window. The light streamed from the window and flowed into the room. And there, in the center, was the enchanted mirror that Sirius told him about almost two years ago.

'_It's an enchanted mirror, Harry. It will show you anything you want to see. Just ask it politely and tap it three times with your wand.' _He remembered Sirius' voice when his godfather explained the magic of the mirror to him on the Christmas holiday of his fifth year. God! It felt like it was just yesterday.

He entered the room and stood in front of the mirror. He pointed his wand at it; in just seconds, the ashes – covering the enchanted mirror – vanished and his own reflection stared back at him.

"Tell me where Hermione Granger is. Please?" He said to it, remembering to be polite like his god father told him. He tapped it three times and in the third tap, his reflection in the mirror rippled and it changed right before his very eyes.

The mirror was showing him a scene in a foreign place. The place was not familiar to him; he had never seen it before. He scanned the view that the mirror was providing for him and he saw a girl. The girl was facing the opposite direction and so, he saw only her back. The girl had bushy brown hair and was wearing the exact same clothes that Hermione was wearing the past night. "Hermione!" He shouted. He laughed at himself when realized that she can't possibly hear her.

He realized that his Hermione was waiting in front of a door. _What is she doing there? Whose house is that? Who's she waiti-_ his thoughts were cut off when a guy stepped out of a door.

His anger surged a high level when he saw Viktor step out of the door and Hermione hugged him. His mind went blank and his fist curled violently, his face as red with anger as it can possibly be.

In the mirror in front of him, Viktor lifted Hermione off the ground, her face buried in his neck and he brought her inside the house. At the sight of this, Harry's eyes welled up with tears and he stomped loudly out of the door. He descended the stairs, shaking with rage and glare was prominent in his crying eyes. The moment he got to the sitting room, he punched the wall viciously and shouted and shouted on the top of his lungs.

He continued to punch the innocent wall and yelled while he was weeping. _"How could she run to him after last night? I thought she loved me. She was whispering my name last night and still, she ran to him? How dumb can I get? I thought she loves me. I thought I was the one. I thought she was happy with me. I thought, I thought…"_ He whispered to himself as he cried. He heard someone descend down the stairs but he doesn't care at all.

"Master…" Kreacher whispered with a trembling voice. He sprinted beside Harry and aided his bleeding hand. He held it with his own and muttered some incantation and Harry's hand glowed faint gold and the wound was gone. "What happened Master? Is Master okay?" Kreacher asked him, worry was evident in his voice.

Harry calmed down a bit at the sight of the house elf but his heart was still pounding loudly and breaking silently. "Nothing, Kreacher. I'll be leaving now. Take care of the house. Don't mention to anybody that I went back here. Can you do that for me, Kreacher?" Harry asked the house elf without looking at him.

The poor, worrying house elf nodded, tears trickling down his small face. He bowed low and Harry stroked the elf's head. "Don't cry, Kreacher. Don't worry about me. I'm okay." He said to Kreacher. He got up, scooped a fistful of floo powder from the pot and faced his house elf once more. "I won't be coming back for a long time, Kreacher. Take care of the house and take care of yourself. Goodbye." He said his final words and threw the floo power in the grate, causing a blaze of green and whispering "McGonagall's office. Hogwarts." He stepped into the flame and disappeared, leaving the crying house elf alone in the sitting room of his house.

A/N: Okay, Chapter 7 and 8 are up! Hope you like it, guys. Don't forget to click that cute button down there and give me a review! I would totally appreciate it. If you don't, I'll be heart-broken. :(

Special Mention:

To my friends DINDIN and NICX, if you guys really read this story until this point, thanks. If you got lazy in the middle of the other chapters, it's okay. Ahahaha. Either way, tell me what you think about it, okay? By the way, this story isn't finished yet, so you have to wait for the next chapters to be posted. THANKS! I MISS YOU GUYS!

To the readers: I've been updating quite faster than before. Thanks for the advice of one of my awesome reviewers, QUINZY. I hope you continue reading this and please give me more reviews. That would be totally awesome. That's all, thank you! :))


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer:

George: J.K. owns HP right, Gred?

Fred: Right you are, Forge.

Aren't they awesome? Haha! Well, you heard 'em. I don't own HP, J.K. does.

Chapter 9

Ron woke up with the sound his of his watch placed on the bedside table. He sat up and stared at his bed sheet, trying to rub sleep out of his eyes.

"Why the hell did I set that watch to alarm this early? It's only 7:00, for Merlin's sake!" he grumbled as he glared at his innocent watch. He looked out the window of The Leaky Cauldron and thought hard why the bloody watch was set to alarm early that day.

After ages of staring out the window and exhausting himself by thinking – or at least, trying to - Ron heard a knock, followed by the voice of his girlfriend. "Ron, are you awake yet?"

"Yeah! Wait, don't enter yet, I only have my boxers on." He shouted back towards the door. The redhead stood up, grabbed his pants and shirt and wore them on. "Okay, you can come inside now." He stated.

"Alohamora." Luna whispered at the door; the doorknob glowed and it twisted itself open to reveal Ron's rented room. Luna looked dreamily around. "You know, Ron? This room needs more windows, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it only has one. But we can't redesign it, can we, Luna?" he looked at his girlfriend and grinned broadly. "Well, let's go downstairs and eat breakfast." Ron stood up and held his hand out to Luna and ushered her out of the room.

They got down the creaky stairs and noticed that the pub was just opening. They decided to stay at the table at the corner and ordered breakfast. As they ate, Ron still thought about the reason why his watch alarmed. He felt as if he was forgetting something important.

"What's wrong Ron?" Luna looked at him quizzically. Ron looked like he was concentrating on something and eating only half-heartedly. This worried his girlfriend; for Ron always eats actively and it was very non-Ron to concentrate like that.

"Hmmm. You see… my watch alarmed at 7:00 am and I can't remember why. Do you have any idea?" He asked Luna.

"Well, if you alarmed it early, then it means today is important; you never wake up early on a normal day. Aren't you forgetting something important?" Luna replied as she settled her spoon and fork down her plate.

"I do have a feeling that I'm forgetting something. The problem is I can't remember what it is." He settled his utensils down the plate and crunched up his brows in concentration.

"Ron, I think it has something to do with Harry or Hermione or your family. You only sacrifice sleeping until late afternoon if it's about me or them." Luna voiced out her thoughts.

"You're right! Harry's leaving today. He's going to France. I got to go. I might be able to catch him before he leaves. I'll go to Hogwarts, wanna come?" He exclaimed at Luna. _Lesson learned for today: Leave the thinking to Luna. She does it better than me. _He thought to himself.

She shook her head and said "No, I'll stay here. Tell him to take care. I hate goodbyes." She looked at him with sad eyes, almost teary.

Ron got up from his seat, kissed her forehead and made his way to the barman to pay their bill. He walked towards the fire place and scooped a handful of floo powder. With another wave to Luna, he stepped in the fireplace and immediately disappeared in a blaze of green.

The next moment, he fell with a thud in the ashen carpet of McGonagall's office at Hogwarts. He coughed up a mouthful of ashes and stood up. He looked around the room as he tapped his shirt in places where the powder turned its red color to gray.

There was no one in the room except for him. _Merlin's beard! What if he left already?_ He panicked; and in the middle of his hysterics, the sorting hat – placed in the top of the shelf in his left – talked to him. "They just left, Weasley. Go after them. They're heading to the grounds."

He shot a thankful look at the sorting hat and he could swear; the corner of the rip – the hat's supposed mouth – near the hat's brim, turned up in what looked like a crooked smile. _Weird!_

He practically ran his way down the stairs and the whole castle towards the door. He caught up with them just outside the gigantic oak doors.

"Ha-rry!" He shouted, breathing heavily. Three figures turned around and there stood Professor McGonagall, Cho Chang and Harry.

"I ran the whole of the castle, mate! Good thing I caught you before you'd gone." He said. He put his hands to his hips and exhaled rather loudly.

Harry tapped Ron's shoulder and said "Thanks, mate." A bit unhappy.

Ron saw loneliness in his face. It was written across his forehead and visible in his eyes which are not as glowing green as usual.

"What's wrong, mate? You look broken. Aren't you excited about your trip?" Ron asked him with a nudge in Harry's ribs and a nod towards Cho's direction. Ron grinned towards his best friend and moved his brows up and down.

Cho and McGonagall shot Harry a confused look but he didn't pay attention to them. He looked at Ron and feigned a smile.

"I'm okay, mate. I just didn't get a lot of sleep. Take care, okay? I don't think I'll be back in a long time."

"Fire whiskey can do that to you. You were drunk last night, eh? Haha! Okay, take care then, mate. 'Til next time! We'll miss ya! Bye!" He hit Harry in the back and wished him luck as he went back to the castle.

"The password is Percival, Mr. Weasley. You were heading to my office to floo aren't you?"

"Uhhh. Yeah. Thanks Professor. I forgot about it for a moment there." He smiled at the headmistress and scratched the back of his head as he made his way back to the castle while muttering "Idiot! How could you forget to ask the password? Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"

"What have you told him, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked Harry once Ron had disappeared inside the castle.

"I told him that I'll be going on a vacation. After the war and all, I have to relax. That's what he knows." Replied Harry as they continued walking in the direction of the bridge leading to Hagrid's hut.

"And you told him that Ms. Chang is going in that same vacation with you?" McGonagall continued to interrogate Harry about the details of his statement to Ron about the mission.

Harry just nodded without looking at them, his eyes directed at his sneakers. Then suddenly, the headmistress and Cho stopped and Harry looked up. He found an old suit of armor staring down at him. It was the same suit of armor that welcomed whoever was going to Hagrid's hut. But why were they stopping in front of it?

"Well, that's a very well thought excuse Mr. Potter, considering that you two _were_ together. Now, this will be your portkey. We should have left an hour ago. But no worries, this will still take you to your destination." Professor McGongall voiced out an answer, as if she heard Harry's silent question. And apparently, voicing out some of her own thoughts and opinions, as well.

At the corner of his eyes, Harry saw Cho wince upon hearing the word WERE. But nonetheless, both of them still did not speak.

Upon seeing that the two teen agers weren't planning on reacting on what she said, McGonagall continued briefing them about their journey. "After touching this portkey, you will be transported in a wizard pub at France and when you arrive there, two wizards – well in this case, a wizard and a witch – will come to you and will bring you to where you will be living during your stay in that country. Any questions?" the headmistress, previously looking at the portkey while she was explaining, turned her head on Harry and Cho's direction and waited – expecting to be asked further information.

When no such questions were asked, she continued her monologue. "Now, if you may… you can now go. Be sure to keep your minds on your own assignments and don't let other matters distract you. Good luck on both of you. Take care of yourselves. Off you go." She said one last time and gestured the two of them to touch the armor. Both of them complied silently.

With a jolt, they went spinning and their surroundings distorted and reformed in front of their eyes. After a dizzying travel in about a second, they landed flat on a corner of a brightly lit place that they reckoned as the pub that was mentioned to them.

The pub was a bit crowded although it was early in the morning. The brilliant daybreak light was streaming down the several glass windows on either side of the pub. The two teenagers looked around the room and focused their eyes on the faces of the occupants of the place. They scanned the area with hopes of recognizing who might be the ones to fetch them. But with no luck, the two sighed and sat in the nearest table to them and silence followed after.

After quite a few minutes of hush, Cho faced Harry and started to talk. "Look, Harry, I'm sorry about what I said a while ago. I didn't mean to insult her. I just felt that it was unfair in my part if you told her and I was only kept in the dark, considering that we're going in the same country for a task." Cho apologized, her eyes threatening to water.

"It's okay, Cho. Just don't do it again. Nobody deserves to be insulted if they've done nothing wrong. I'm sorry as well. I'm sorry if I shouted at you this morning. I was just carried away." Harry replied. His eyes were focused on the floor while he spoke.

"It's okay, Harry. But, you look broken. What happened? Did everything go well with Hermione?" Cho asked, guilt creeping towards her heart.

When Harry was about to answer, they heard a loud crack and two people apparated in the other side of the room. The newcomers approached Harry and Cho.

"Hey guys. Hello Harry, Cho. Do you still remember me?" A familiar, young and pretty witch stood in front of them and waved her hands energetically. The wizard beside the girl gave them a sincere smile.

"Gabrielle? How have you been? What are you doing here? Are you supposed to fetch us?" Cho asked the veela girl in bewilderment.

"Yes and no. I'm told to fetch you, Cho. But not Harry." answered the girl. She smiled at Harry and Harry realized it had been a year since he last saw her. She was wearing a simple jeans and blue blouse that hugged her slim figure. She had changed a lot in just a short time and looked more like a young lady than the last time he saw her, which was at the Burrow during Bill and her older sister's wedding.

"Because I will be the one to fetch you, Harry. Although, it's not much of a difference." interrupted the guy standing beside Gabrielle. He gave Harry a smile that can surely sweep every girl off their feet. He had jaw length and soft chestnut brown hair that cropped his handsome face. And to complete the look, he had bangs that covered a small portion of his eyes – giving him the look of mystery. Harry thought he must be a foreigner, for he does not have a heavy French accent identical to Gabrielle, but rather, an amazing American accent.

"Oh. Hello." Harry forced a smile at him. Harry thought it might be a great idea to hang out with him. If only he wasn't upset at the moment.

"Actually, I was not the one originally told to fetch you. It was Jason. But something popped up. There was an emergency regarding his family. So he had to go home. That's why we were late. I'm Brennion, by the way. Brennion Knight; but you can call me Brenn for short." He extended his hand to Harry and he took it. They shook hands and Harry introduced himself.

"I'm Harry. Harry Po-" Harry started, but he was interrupted.

"I know. Everybody knows who you are, man!" Brenn grinned at him and patted his back. He grinned and turned to the ladies.

"Hello, miss Chang. I'm sorry for being rude and not introducing myself immediately. I'm Brenn." He smiled crookedly an extended his hand once more, this time, towards Cho.

"No worries. And… you can call me Cho." Cho smiled at him sweetly. She took his hand and he shook it firmly but with gentleness.

"Okay, enough chit chat guys. Let's go. We'll show you where we're gonna stay and then we'll go and have lunch together. Is that okay?" Gabrielle turned to them and asked.

Harry snapped his head in her direction. "Wait. W-we? I thought we weren't gonna stay together?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yeah. That was the plan. You were supposed to stay with Jason. But as I've already said, he went home and you're gonna stay with me instead. And since Gabrielle and I were renting two apartments in the same building, technically, we'll be staying together." Brenn explained to the two.

"Oh." Harry said silently. Brennl looked at him curiously an after seeing Harry's reaction, he frowned.

"Don't you want to stay with us, Harry? You look disappointed." Brenn asked sadly.

"Oh, no. It's okay. I'm just not feeling well. Don't mind me. I'm sorry." Harry apologized and focused his attention on the floor again.

"If you have a problem, you can always tell us, Harry." Gabrielle told him and put a hand in his shoulder soothingly.  
Harry stared at her. He was surprised. They weren't that close to begin with and here she was, offering Harry her help. Harry smiled thankfully and mumbled "Thanks, Gabrielle. I'll be okay. Let's just go."

"Okay. Let's go." Gabrielle replied with a smile and they started to disapparate one by one.

Hermione apparated with a crack on the sitting room of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Without taking her eyes off of the floor, she slowly walked towards the stairs when…

"Blimey, Hermione! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Didn't your mom told you not to startle a sleeping a bloke?" Ron grumbled while getting up from the couch. His eyes weren't hiding how annoyed he felt at the moment.

Hermione jumped upon hearing Ron's voice – clearly not expecting him to be home.

"What are you doing here, Ron?" she asked, her voice shaking and her eyes were red and puffy.

"I might remind you that I've been living here for the past week, Hermione." Ron reminded her. He looked at her face and cocked his head to the side – a sign of complete confusion – and walked towards her. "What happened to you, Hermione? Were you crying? Where have you been?" He asked continuously, his annoyance being replaced with concern.

"I-I-'m okay, Ron. I just didn't sleep well last night. I was outside, just wandering around." She stammered, hiding her eyes. She was never good at telling lies. Ron would be able to tell she was lying with just a look in her eyes and she couldn't take the risk so she hid them from him.

"Just like Harry. He hadn't slept well also. I guess you guys had a good time last night, then? Did you say goodbye to him before he left this morning?" Ron asked. She sighed with relief when Ron didn't look suspicious but shuddered at the memory of Harry.

"Y-y-yeah." She lied again, wishing that Ron wouldn't notice her shaking voice.

"Your voice is shaking, Hermione. I think you should rest. It'll be good for you, you know?"

"Okay," She answered silently and climbed up the stairs without waiting for Ron's reply.

She slowly walked to her room and once she entered, she sat on her bed without bothering to close the door. She stayed at that position for a few minutes and then she got up and walked towards the corner of the room where her few belongings were neatly piled. She started putting her things in her charmed beaded bag. She wanted to do it the muggle way – slowly – so that she would have time to think. As she was putting the last of her things in the bag, Ron poked his head in her open door and spoke.

"Hermione, dinner's ready. Hey! What are you doing?" He yelled as soon as he realized what she was doing.

"I'm packing."

"That bit is kind of obvious, Hermione. But why in the name of Merlin are you packing?" He entered her room and sat on her bed and continued to stare at her.

"I'm leaving."

"WHAT? WHY?" Ron stood up from the bed and snatched her bag from her. "You're not leaving! Harry just left and you're leaving too? What's gotten into you?" Ron shouted at her as he held Hermione's bag protectively against his chest.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron! I'm just gonna find somewhere else to stay. I can't stay here. You have a family to visit and I don't. I haven't found my parents yet. You can't stay in here for a long time. You have to go back to your family and I have to find a place where I can stay before that happens." Hermione yelled back at Ron. She had spoken the truth, in a way. But the reason why she's leaving was not because she was afraid to live there alone. But, because she can't stay at that place because every part of the house was reminding her of Harry and she can't bear that. She has to get away, whatever it takes.

Ron sighed and handed back her bag. He slouched beside her and spoke softly. "You're right. It'll be depressing without Harry and I wouldn't want that. I wasn't planning on living here. I was also planning to leave soon. Do you already have a place to stay at?" He asked her. The question had caught her off guard. She thought of leaving a soon as she could but she haven't thought about where she's gonna stay.

"You can stay at the Burrow if you want. Mum would love that; not to mention Ginny." Ron suggested. He saw her frown and realized that she still doesn't have a place to stay so he offered her.

"S-s-sure. But only until I find my own place. Thanks, Ron." She smiled thankfully at him.

"Don't mention it. That's what friends are for." He smiled and placed a hand over hers and let go of it shortly after giving it a slight squeeze. "Hmmm. I think it would be best if we eat dinner at the Burrow. I have nothing against Kreacher's cooking but it would be lovelier to have more company, right?" He said with a smirk he stood up and held a hand out to Hermione.

She took it, picked her bag up and they made their way down the kitchen to tell Kreacher about their plan for departure. Ron politely offered Kreacher to just share the food with some of his elf friends. Kreacher agreed and promised to take good care of the house. They said goodbye and thanks to Kreacher and with a bow from the house elf, they disapparated away.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This is a disclaimer. So naturally, I'm NOT claiming anything. I don't own HP.

Chapter 10

Hermione woke up with the sound of chatters buzzing around her. Normally, she would get up and see what the fuzz was about. But now, she didn't feel like getting up. The constant buzzing of girls continued to rage around her. While her eyes are closed, she listened to the voices and tried to make up what they were chatting about.

"Hey guys, check this out. Look, it's snowing." Lavander called out to the other girls. Shuffling of sheets being thrown away and stomps of feet walking towards the window followed the statement of the Gryffindor girl.

"Wow. This is great! You know what this means, right girls?" Parvati asked her roommates.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" All the girls chimed at the same time.

"Remember, we have to beat the serpents. Beat them to a pulp, understand?" Parvati stated.

_Wait! What the? Lavander? Parvati? Aren't I at the Burrow?_ _I moved in last night, didn't I? What are they doing here? _Hermione thought to herself.

"Of course! We will win!" Lavander cheered loudly. "Hey Hermione! Wake up, it's snowing. We have to plan how we will beat the snakes." Lavander shouted at her direction. The girl walked towards Hermione's four poster bed and whacked her head with a fluffy, scarlet pillow.

The pillow hit her head with a satisfying smack and her eyes flew open. She looked around to see her fellow Gryffindor girls surrounding her. And more over, she was lying at her bed at Hogwarts.

"Haha! You didn't expect that, did you, sleepy head?" Lavander smirked at her.

"What are you guys doing? Why am I here? What's happening?" She asked them incredulously as she sat up in her bed and leaned against her head board.

"I think you hit her too hard Lavander." Parvati said and they all giggled.

"What are you talking about Hermione? It's snowing. So get up and put some thick clothes on. We're having a snow ball fight with the Slytherins, remember? I'm sure Harry and the other boys are already getting ready in the other dorm." Lavander explained to her. Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of Harry's name.

_Harry? Huh? Harry is here? This can't be real. I'm at the Burrow and Hogwarts is not yet reopened._ She thought to herself. But nonetheless, she got up and changed into her thick clothes. She went along with the girls' plans on how to defeat Malfoy's group of goons. Together, they went down the stairs to the common room.

"Where's Hermione? Where are they? What's taking them so long? We have some slimy Slytherin butts to kick today. Do you think they've forgotten? Hey Ron! Wake up!" Harry's voice sounded behind the red sofa. In the other end of the couch, Ron's red head was leaned against it. Her heart thumped loudly at the sound of Harry's husky morning voice.

"What? I'm sleepy. And just wait they'll go down sooner or later. You know how girls are every morning." Ron grumbled

"What is that suppose to mean?" Lavender asked Ron as they went down the stairs. All of them gathered around the sofa to corner Ron. But in Hermione's case, to see Harry.

"Uhhh. I just meant your clothes. You have to choose the right color. So they won't clash, right? Please don't kill me." Ron pleaded and they all laughed. Harry noticed Hermione staring at him.

"Is there something on my face, Hermione? Why are you staring at me?" He asked her.

"Oh. N-n-nothing." She stammered.

Harry just beamed at her. He got up and stood between her and the sofa. He pulled Ron up and put an arm in both hers and Ron's shoulders. "Let's go, guys. We've got some Slytherins to send to their mommies, crying." Harry joked and they all laughed. They walked out the common room to meet up with the other Gryffindors waiting on the other side of the Fat Lady's portrait.

When they arrived at the designated battle field outside the castle, they saw the snickering Slytherins waiting for them. They started building and balling up snow balls. And after half an hour of preparing, the battle commenced.

As planned, the Slytherins were beaten to a pulp. All of the Slytherins were soaked with melted snow balls and all the Gryffindors were laughing their hearts out. After celebrating and just laughing at the losing House, they all dispersed. The others continued playing in the snow while the others went back inside the castle to warm up. Ron excused himself to find Luna and so, Hermione and Harry were left alone – wandering the castle grounds.

"What's the spell to dry something up?" Harry asked her.

Without saying anything, she pointed her wand at Harry's clothes and it dried instantly. Harry did the same with her clothes and grinned at her.

"I thought you didn't know the spell?" She said softly.

"I know it. I just want to get your attention. You were silent all morning. Is there something wrong?" to her utter surprise, Harry asked her.

"Oh. N-n-nothing. I'm okay. Don't mind me." Hermione answered. _This can't be real. I shouldn't be affected. _Her mind told her. But her heart was dictating the opposite. She wanted nothing more than to just hug Harry.

"Hmmm. Are you sure that you're alright, my cutie cute Hermione?" Harry asked her again. He pinched both her cheeks and pulled it sideways with a satisfying grin plastered in his lips.

Hermione was surprised at his gesture. The real Harry always does this to her and she always smacks his hand and hits his head. Remembering those memories made her miss him even more.

"See? You're not okay. You didn't hit me. What's wrong? Come on, tell me." He urged her as he removed his hands from her cheeks and put his arm around her shoulder.

Hermione's eyes filled up with tears. She misses him so much and she doesn't care if this is real or not. It's the only chance she has; the only way she can hug him and she's not gonna waste it. She hugged him tight and cried in his arms – the way she always wanted to: just stay in his arms forever.

Harry hugged her back with the same intensity and whispered "It's okay. I'm always here. I'll never leave you."

She looked up at him and saw his green eyes staring back at her. The look in his eyes hinted that he wanted to tell her something. Something kept deep within him.

"Harry! There you are. I've been looking all over for you." Someone shouted behind Harry. Hermione looked past Harry's shoulder to see who spoke but Harry didn't take his eyes off her. He continued to stare softly at her – not caring about anything else but her.

She looked past Harry's shoulder and blinked tears away from her eyes. She saw a girl walking towards the both of them. A girl with a very familiar long mane of black hair.

Cho stood behind Harry. She looked at her in the eye and sneered. She snatched Harry's hand from Hermione's waist and pulled him away from her. Harry made no move to let her go. His eyes stared at hers pleadingly – as if begging her not to let him go.

She held Harry's other hand and held it firmly. She didn't want to let him go. She wants him to stay with her.

Cho looked at her with hatred and envy. She tugged on Harry's hand but Harry made no move to let go of Hermione's hand. "Hermione, let him go. I'm his girlfriend. Don't take him away. You don't have the right over him. Let…him…go…"

She was taken aback. Tears poured down her red cheeks and her grip on Harry loosened. Harry's hand slowly slipped from hers. Harry grabbed the tip of her fingers desperately – trying to keep her close to him and not giving up the only connection they have: their hands – as Cho pulled him away.

When his hands slipped completely away from hers, she grabbed it back but she realized that it was too late. She had lost him once again. As she looked at the retreating figures, she saw Harry's distraught face.

A single tear escaped his eyes and sparkled in the morning light. As Cho pulled Harry away from her, he gave one last look and as another tear streamed down his cheek, he mouthed "I LOVE YOU." And then… he was fading away – fading away from her…

Hermione woke up with a start. _It was just a dream. It's not real._ She thought as she cried silently in her bed. She felt the sheets. This was the real one. She's not at Hogwarts. She's at the Burrow; sleeping in Ginny's room – all alone. It was all a dream and that means that there's no Harry as well.

As she cried, she heard shuffling of sheets in front of her. She squinted around the room and saw a figure under Ginny's sheets. The form turned around and opened its eyes.

Hermione's teary hazel brown eyes came in contact with Ginny's chocolate brown. Ginny looked at her with concern and curiosity. The redhead stood up and sat beside her in her bed.

"What's wrong Hermione? What happened?" She asked her as she put an arm around her.

"I had a bad dream. What are you doing here? I thought you were in Holyhead?" She croaked while she wiped her tear-streaked face.

"It's okay. It's only a dream. And I arrived last night. I didn't expect to find you here. I thought you were staying at Grimmauld Place." Ginny explained. She ran her fingers through Hermione's hair in a soothing motion.

"Something happened. I can't stay there anymore." She stuttered.

Ginny tightened her hold on her best friend and asked "What happened? Tell me, I'll listen."

"Oh, Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed and she flung her arms around Ginny and cried. She told her everything that happened and in return, Ginny comforted her as best as she can.

"Hermione, I think there was a mistake. I know Harry. He wouldn't do that. Why don't you just talk to him? Floo him or write to him. You two have to talk." Reasoned Ginny.

She shook her head. "No. There's nothing more to talk about. And besides, I can't talk to him. I just can't."

"Clear this up once and for all. You have to clear things up between you and Harry." Ginny argued with her.

"There's nothing between him and me." Her voice rose. She put her hands on her face and cried some more.

"There is! I know you love him. He's your first love and he's your best friend. If you're not gonna do something about this you're gonna lose him forever." Ginny put her arms across her chest. "Just talk to him. Just one more time. If nothing happens, I will not force you again. Your friendship is worth the try, Hermione. Just one last time." She reasoned and hugged Hermione again.

"Okay. But not now. I can't talk to him yet. I'll talk to him, but not now. Someday, I will. I promise." Hermione's words were muffled by her hands but Ginny heard it clearly and ended the argument.

"I understand. I just care for you, you know. I can't bear to see you like this. That's why I want everything to be clear between you and him. So that you could both move on – whether it's together or separately. Everything happens for a reason, Hermione. And don't worry, we'll always be here for you. We're your family too." Ginny stated.

Hermione removed her hands from her face and hugged Ginny. "Thanks, Ginny."

"Don't mention it."

"Girls! Are you awake? Come down. Breakfast's ready!" Mrs. Weasley's loud voice boomed from downstairs and they broke apart.

"Let's go. Before she goes up here." Ginny told Hermione and she nodded. She fixed herself and they went down the kitchen together.

When they entered the kitchen, the whole family was already seated around the table and waiting for the food to be settled in front of them. (Arthur, Percy, Fred, Gorge and Ron)

"What took you girls so long? You shouldn't let food wait. It gets impatient, you know?" Fred said with his mischievous grin. He was still wearing his green PJ's. His hair was ruffled and as red as ever.

"You mean the hungry eating machines get impatient, not the food. Now sit over there, dears and let's eat breakfast." Mrs. Weasley led them to the empty seats on the left side of the table and sat in her own seat after waving her wand. The food flew from the kitchen to the dining table and they all began to eat.

"What happened to your eyes, Hermione? Why are they puffy?" George asked

"I just didn't get a lot of sleep." She answered timidly.

"Nightmares? We got the best remedy for that." Fred grinned in George's direction and nodded his head. George dug his hand in his right pocket and retrieved a vial with a sparkling golden liquid inside. He showed it to everyone and the twins started their product promotion.

"This vial contains our newest invention. It's brilliant, we tell you. Just a gulp and it will make your sleep nightmare-free." Fred started. Everyone around the table listened while eating.

"You mean it's a dreamless sleep potion? That's not new." Ron asked – his mouth full of food.

"Oh no, little brother. We didn't say it was a Dreamless sleep potion. We said it will give you a nightmare-free sleep – not a dreamless one." George smirked and moved his eyebrow up and down. As if waiting for them to get the hint on what's special about the potion.

"You mean it won't give you NIGHTMARES, which means that it will only give you dreams." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

"Right, you are Hermione. Always the brilliant one. It will give you dreams. One gulp and you will have a pleasant dreamy sleep. So… we call it…" Fred paused and looked at his twin.

"Visional Hallucination Potion" The twins declared together.

"What's that supposed to mean? What kind of dream will it give you?" asked Ginny. Everyone around the table listened intently – showing utmost interest that the twins enjoyed.

"Visional means providing visions and hallucination is a fancy word for dream. Maybe suggesting that it's going to give you visions? Maybe your desires?" Percy chose to be involved in the conversation as well.

"That is a great explanation, big brother. Maybe you're right." George said.

"Or maybe you're wrong. We won't tell you the tale behind the name or what dream it grants. You have to try it for yourself to know." Fred offered.

"How much would you sell it?" Arthur asked. He was listening to his children's conversation the whole time and got interested with the product as well.

"Hmmm. We haven't really thought of that yet. We have to know first if people will like it. And Hermione said that she's having nightmares. Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Fred?" George asked his brother and plastered his signature prankster grin on his face. The twins turned their heads on Hermione's direction with bright smiles.

"Oh no, boys. You won't try that on Hermione. You don't know what might happen." Mrs. Weasley scolded the twins but nevertheless, their smiles never left their faces.

"It's safe, mum. Don't worry. We've tried it on ourselves and we've had a great sleep last night. We just want to know if other people will like it too." Fred explained to everyone and turned his head once more towards Hermione.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Hermione asked the smirking twins.

"Guaranteed." Fred and George said together.

"I'm sure once you wake up, you'd be as great as us." Fred said.

"I swear, in the name of my lost ear, it's safe." George promised. They handed Hermione the vial and resumed eating.

Hermione took the vial and pocketed it.

"I don't think that the effect 'being as great as you' makes it safe to drink. I think it proves the exact opposite. Don't drink it if you love your brains, Hermione." Percy joked and everyone laughed with them.

"Hey! Are you mocking us? We will be great, I tell ya! We will be. That's for sure." Fred and George defended themselves.

"Hey! I was just joking, bros." Percy said and laughed again.

"If I were you, I would watch my food from now on, Percy." Ginny suggested and jerked her head in the twins' direction. The twins were staring at his soup and grinning mischievously.

"Beloved brother, have we told you that it's great to have you back?" Fred said while wiggling his eyebrows.

"We totally missed ya, most precious brother." George said with sparkling eyes. He turned to Fred and both of them nodded to each other.

Percy paled and gulped loudly. "Uh-oh…" He said while staring at his food.

The twins barked with laughter and the others joined in. After a while of laughing, Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat and turned to Hermione.

"Hermione, dear, Ron said that you were planning on looking for your own place?" She asked her. Mrs. Weasley glanced at the table and noticed that everyone had already finished eating. With a flick of her wand, the empty dishes flew to the kitchen sink.

"Yes, I'm looking for a place to stay and a job." She replied. A plate swished to the kitchen sink. She bowed her head to prevent being hit and the plate darted directly at Ron's unknowing head – it hit him with a thud before flying towards the sink once more.

Everyone stared at Ron and the others cackled. Ginny rolled her eyes and turned to Hermione. "You can always stay with us."

"Yes. You can stay as long as you want sweetie. After all, you're a part of the family." Mrs. Weasley gave her warm smile that reminded her of her own mother.

Her real parents were somewhere in Australia – living the life they've always wanted. Hermione promised herself that she'll find them and they will meet again someday. But until then, She will let them live away from all the problems she could give them.

"Finally! We have a younger sister at last!" Fred shouted triumphantly. A smile playing in his lips.

"And what do you think I am, BIG BROTHER? Your garden gnome?" Ginny retorted at her brother. She glared at him and crossed her arms.

"You're our LITTLE sister, not YOUNGER." George answered for Fred.

"I'm not little anymore!" Ginny snapped.

"Yes you are. And you will be…forever! BUWAHAHAHA!" Fred shouted and laughed maniacally. The intensity of Fred's laugh seemed contagious and affected the whole family and Hermione as well. They all laughed – even Ginny – and the day passed by with the same cheery feeling within every member of the family. Even Hermione never felt sad the whole day.

When night came – after eating dinner – the whole family got ready for bed. Every member went to their own rooms.

Hermione walked up the stairs to Ginny's room to get ready for bed. She entered the room and saw Ginny fixing her bed. She walked inside but before she can close the door, she heard someone whistle. She went outside the room and walked forward. She reached the banister of the stairs and looked up. She saw the twins looking down on her.

"Don't forget the potion." The two of them said.

She nodded her head. "Sure. Night."

"Okay, have a good night sleep, Hermione. Sweet dreams." They said – again, at the same time – and they both winked before turning around and going into their own room.

She turned around and entered her and Ginny's room again. She closed the door behind her and sat on the bed. Ginny was already lying on hers.

"You aren't planning on drinking that potion, are you?" The redhead asked her. Ginny stood up, sat on Hermione's bed and leaned against the wall.

"What harm can it do? Do you think it isn't safe?" Hermione looked at her worriedly.

"Oh no. I think it's perfectly safe. They said that they tried it themselves. That's their way of boasting. If they said that, it only means that the product really works. I just asked you if you were sure. You don't know what kind of dreams it will give you." She explained.

Hermione thought deeply for a moment and then answered. "I think there's only one way to find out."

Ginny nodded. "Hey! You will tell me about your dream, right?" She asked – excitement filling her eyes.

"Of course." Hermione replied and dug her hand in her pocket. She recovered the vial and pulled the cork. The scent of the liquid filled the room. Its honey-sweet scent lingered in their noses. "It smells like honey." Hermione said. She lifted the vial into eye level and squinted at the potion.

"It's sparkling." Ginny said with wide eyes. She raised her hand and poked the vial in Hermione's hand lightly with her index finger. Some of the shimmering glitters escaped the container and it floated in front of their eyes for a moment. Then, it circled their heads and sparkled brighter.

"Wow." The two girls said in awe. The stared as the shimmering glitter formed a heart in front of them and returned into the vial.

"This is genius. How did they do this?" Hermione asked incredulously. Never in her magical life had she seen anything that magical. By far, this potion surpasses the Liquid Luck and the Love Potion.

"If it's that mystical when you open it, I can't wait to know what it does. Drink it, Hermione. Go for it." Ginny urged.

With one last gaze at the potion, she drank it with one gulp. The warm liquid traveled from her tongue down her throat. It tasted like honey and chocolate and strawberry and cherry and all other different flavors she didn't expect a single potion to taste like. The different flavors mixed together in perfect blend. Its warmth and sweetness left a trail in her tongue and throat.

"Well? How does it taste?" Ginny asked. Her eyes showed a mixture of curiosity and excitement.

"It tastes like everything you can think of." Hermione answered. The potion gave her a feeling of contentment. It made all her worries disappear. It made all the heaviness in her heart vanish. It made her feel great.

"Wow. That's awesome. Well, let's go to sleep and start dreaming. Tell me about your dream tomorrow, okay? Good night Hermione. Sweet dreams." Ginny said. She hugged Hermione and stood up from her bed. She went to her own and lied down. And with a "Goodnight, Ginny." from Hermione, she fell asleep underneath her sheets.

Hermione closed her eyes with a smile glued in her lips. And after a short while, she began to dream…

A/N: Guess what she dreamt of. Haha!. Sorry for the long wait. I wasn't able to touch the computer for a while, let alone use it. Please review.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I think Harry Potter and the other characters are happy with their real owner. JK owns them.

A/N: I forgot to mention that some characters that are dead in the series are alive in this fic. Fred was the first one to come back to life and some more are coming soon. I'm sorry but Hedwig's not one of 'em.

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Chapter 11

Harry woke up the next morning in a huge room. As he opened his eyes and squinted at the bright light streaming from the window, he did the first thing he always does every morning when he wakes up – he reached in the bedside table and retrieved his glasses. After wearing it gently in front of his eyes, he propped himself up in a sitting position and leaned his back against the bed's wooden headboard.

He stayed in the same position for several minutes – recalling his first day in France.

FLASHBACK!

_When a crack signaled their apparition, Harry looked around and he found himself standing in front of a tall building. His companions were standing beside him and looking up at the same structure. _

_Brenn simply led the group as they entered the threshold and once they were all standing inside the building, he walked to the counter where a pretty witch sat boringly and talked to her. The witch nodded and Brenn walked towards them again and smiled._

"_I just told her that Cho, would be staying with Gabrielle and Harry would be staying with me. They have to know everyone who stays in the residence – so that they can make changes in the wards so that you can be allowed to apparate inside the building. This apartment is magical and quite strict." Brenn explained to them politely. They nodded at him and he smiled in return. "Now that that's sorted, we can now apparate in our own rooms. Err, Harry, you don't mind if we apparate in Gabrielle's flat first, do you? That way you can also see where they're staying. What do you think?" Brenn asked Harry with a wide grin. Harry got the impression that this guy never frowns and can't be easily upset._

"_Sounds good to me." Harry replied with a feigned smile._

_Without another word, Brenn and Gabrielle grabbed Harry and Cho's wrist – the ones not clutching a bag – and they disapparated. When the darkness and squeezing had gone, they were already standing in front of a cream colored wooden door. Gabrielle took her wand out and inserted it in a wand shaped gap in the wall. The doorknob made a clicking sound and Gabrielle twisted it. _

_When you look at the outside of the tall building, you never would have assumed that that apartment had huge, luxurious flats. In one glance, you would think that the flats were just the same normal ones. But Harry thought better of it when he entered Gabrielle's flat. It was three times the normal one. There were a total of seven rooms – three bedrooms a bathroom, a small library, the kitchen with the dining room and the living room. The wall was elegantly cream colored just like outside the door. The flat was also fully furnished and by the looks of it, EXPENSIVELY furnished. It was complete with tall and wide windows as well as a balcony that overlooked the whole city. Harry would bet that staying in that balcony at night would be a great experience._

"_Wow." Both Cho and Harry stared around in awe and amazement. Gabrielle smiled as she took Cho's luggage and settled it in the corner of the living room and Brenn smirked._

"_It's not much. But it's my home here." Gabrielle murmured quietly while walking to stay at Cho's side again. Her voice was a sound of humility and contentment at the same time._

"_Are you kidding? This is far from 'NOT MUCH'. It's so much!" Cho said with excitement and Harry had no ability to say anything. He just nodded in agreement without taking his eyes off the beautiful room._

_Brenn ducked his head in Gabrielle's ear to whisper to her. "They're starting to freak me out. Harry's gaping like a fish and Cho's eyes are gonna pop out of its sockets any minute now. I'm afraid to bring them to mine. They might go nuts." His brows were crunched and he was staring horridly at Cho and Harry who were grinning madly while looking around._

_Gabrielle giggled and turned her attention to the two fishes. "If you two are like this in here, I'm excited to see your reactions when we go to Brenn's. Let's go now!" She squealed and ran to grab the two's wrists and led them out the door. Brenn groaned loudly ad followed them. The door locked itself behind them and they disapparated with a crack._

_When they apparated again, they found themselves standing in front of a door identical to Gabrielle's. Brenn repeated the process that Gabrielle did to open the door. Harry and Cho were the first to enter._

_The room was brightly lit with dome shaped ceiling. It was three times the size of Gabrielle's and six times the size of a normal flat. Not to mention ten times more elegant and expensive, for sure. A grand chandelier hung in the living room on the right side – casting yellowish white light around the room. In front of them was long hallway with several doors lined up on both sides. _

_In the living room, a flat screen TV was attached to the wall the sofa was facing. Below the television was a fireplace with carvings along the edges. Harry assumed it was for warming and flooing purposes. On either side of the fireplace, was a rectangular, black box. Harry would bet those are speakers. Beside the right speaker was a dark brown cabinet with a DVD player placed on top. _

_On the left side – opposite side of the living room – was a counter. Behind it, attached in the wall were shelves without covers and on display were bottles of wine, martini, tequila, vodka, fire whiskey, butter beer and different kinds of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic as well as both wizard and muggle drinks. _

_After marveling in the living room and the bar, Harry settled his bags in one corner and walked in the direction opposite the door. After walking several paces and passing different doors, he came across a dim alcove on the right and the left. He heard a click and the lights went on. On the left was the kitchen and on the right was the dining room. _

_The kitchen has some muggle technologies. There was a tall, gray refrigerator in the corner and a counter was attached to the wall surrounding the room. There was a dishwasher in another corner and a microwave oven with stove in another. So to sum it all up, the kitchen was a fancy copy of a muggle kitchen, only, it was five times bigger._

_The dining room was much simpler than the other rooms. There was a big round table with white and gold table cloth. On the wall were glass windows with white curtains._

_Harry turned around and walked towards the many doors on the hallway while Cho walked to the kitchen. The space between the different doors beside each other was quite small, giving Harry the idea that the rooms were just normal sized ones. _

"_That would be your room, Harry." Brenn pointed at the room on the opposite side of the door that Harry was facing. Harry twisted the doorknob and entered it. And you thought he would have been used to it by now. But he was surprised again as he looked around and realized that the rooms in that flat were really far from the normal size. His room was magically enlarged on the inside as well. It was like a normal room, only bigger. It has one bedside table, a desk with drawers, a bookshelf with several books and a tall closet placed on different corners of the room. There was a wooden cabinet – with a television on top and another DVD player placed in a gap in the cabinet below the television – edged in the wall opposite the bed. But unlike the one in the living room, this television was smaller with small speakers on each side of it. There was a small, soft, comfy couch with wheels near the bed. On the right wall of the room, there was another door that Harry believed to be the bathroom. He turned around and walked out of the room. _

"_How come my room is enormous?" he asked the owner of the flat incredulously._

_Brenn looked at him – apparently flabbergasted. "It's not that big. I arranged it just before fetching you. I thought that 'cause you grew up in the muggle world, you would like some muggle things on your room as well. Don't you like it?" _

"_Are you kidding? I love it! I wasn't allowed to watch television back when I was a kid." Harry looked down on his shoes embarrassingly at the information he just gave away. "It's just… you're a wizard. How come you have all these muggle stuff? And this place… It's huge." Harry stated as if this was the most unusual thing in the world._

"_Well, yeah I'm a pure blood but I grew up in a muggle residence. So I grew to be fond of these things. These are the things I love about the muggle world." He explained with a contented smile. "And this place is my home here. I'm American but I love to stay here whenever I'm not on a long span mission. I love this place." He stated dreamily. Harry was reminded of Luna Lovegood at this. "If you're impressed with this, you would go crazy with Jason's mansion. It's really where you're supposed to stay. He has a food court in his mansion!" Brenn finished, face lighting up with excitement._

"_Wow." Cho murmured after having a tour of the whole house. "This is awesome but I don't think I'll enjoy some of the things in here. I don't know most of them. What is that black thingy in the wall, anyway?" Cho cocked her head in the side._

"_That's a television. You can watch muggle shows in that and also movies. We have DVD Player if you want to watch some movies, there are tons inside that cabinet." Brenn pointed to the cabinet where the DVD Player was settled – his eyes twinkling with anticipation._

"_Hmmm. I don't know what that is. But I'll try that sometime. Let's just eat. I'm hungry." Cho answered. And as if on cue her stomach growled and everybody laughed._

"_Let's go. I know this awesome French Restaurant. You'll love the food." Gabrielle squealed and nodded vigorously._

"_And while were on it, we might as well give you a tour of the city. Let's go." Brenn said and with a smile, Gabrielle and Brenn grabbed Harry and Cho's wrists and they apparate again – the door locking itself after they vanished._

END OF FLASHBACK!

A small smile crawled its way to Harry's lips as he thought of the past day. That day was a rather confusing one. Harry felt different emotions the entire day. Starting from happiness to disappointment to rage to depression to surprise to amazement to fascination and to happiness again. Spending the day with the three wiped his memory and heart of the depression he felt.

But as soon as he thought of it,_ sadness_ crept to his heart once more. This time, with a certain friend and companion named _emptiness._

He misses her so much. He remembered holding her in his arms the night before – he felt like the most contented man in the world. She was his most precious gem. He didn't want to let her go. There must some kind of misunderstanding. Now that he thinks of it and not let his anger get to him first, it might be a misunderstanding. She can't just go and leave him after giving herself to him – the first time, in that case. There must be something behind it. And he has to talk to her.

After thinking thoroughly, He got up and went to the desk in the corner of the room. He sat down and pulled a parchment and a quill and ink. He's gonna write to her. He can't bear to talk to her right now. He might lose it and want to go home to her. He can't risk that. He has a mission to do and a group of death eaters to catch. He just has to clear things to her and demand answers.

After writing for several minutes, his letter was finished. He read it for the last time to make sure that he said and asked everything that was needed.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Hey. Err. How are you? I hope you're okay. I haven't said goodbye to you before I left. I'm sorry about that. Something happened and I can't face you to say goodbye. To be honest, I'm not having a vacation here with Cho. There was a mission for me from the Ministry. And when I left that morning, I was planning to ask McGonagall about the mission so that I could tell you about it. But when I came back to the house, you were gone and I searched for you and I found you with Viktor. I don't know what happened back there but I got hurt and I left without saying anything. I was angry at you for doing that to me. For playing with my emotions but now I realized that there might be some kind of mistake or misunderstanding. _

_I miss you like hell and I want to be with you. And about Cho and me, there's nothing going on between us anymore. We broke up weeks ago. She wasn't the one I love. It's you. And I want to be with you. After that night, I just want to hold you in my arms forever – believe it or not. I know this is so not like me to say things like this but I've been hiding this for a long time and I won't hide it anymore. I LOVE YOU. I know that I should be telling you this personally but I can't. I'm afraid that when I see your face, I would want to go back to you, whatever it takes. But given the odds, I can't. I can't fail them. I have a mission. I just want you to know how I really feel and I can't just give up on you. I want to just try to tell you. I want to know how you feel about me. _

_Please send me a reply. Answer my questions. I don't want to force you into anything but I want you to know that I love you. I'll be waiting for your reply. If you don't feel the same way, it's okay. If you don't send any reply, I will understand and I will take it that you don't want me. It's okay. I won't expect anything. I just really want you to know. _

_I hope that even if you don't love me as much as I do, we could still be friends. I'll wait for your reply. If nothing comes back, I'll understand. I won't bother you again. I love you…_

_Love,_

_Harry_

Harry stared at the letter. He wondered to himself if the letter was too eager. He hoped not. This would be his last effort. If nothing came back, it only means one thing: Hermione doesn't feel the same for him and he would have to move on.

He folded the parchment and pulled out an envelope from the drawer. He slid the letter into it and wrote HERMION GRANGER in the front of the envelope. He stared at it for a moment and a thought came to him. Everything was perfect; the letter and everything that it said. It explains everything. But there was a big problem.

"How, the bloody hell, am I going to send this? I don't have an owl. URGH!" He roared in frustration. He scratched his head – causing his hair to stick up on different directions – and stomped his feet in the floor childishly.

He scratched his head in irritation again and smacked his forehead. "How am I going to send this?" He asked himself irritably again. He lifted his hand to bang on the desk but his hand stopped midair. GODS! He's becoming more childish by the minute.

"Hmmm. I wonder if Brenn has an owl." He asked himself. He thought deeply and placed his fingers on his chin. "Naah. He has a fireplace for flooing purposes. I don't think so." He answered his own question. "What about Gabrielle? I wonder?" There's only one way to find out. He jumped out of his seat and laughed at himself. He's turning into a childish bloke by the minute. He wondered if this was the effect of being away from Hermione. Man, he would really go crazy without her – literally.

He went to the bedside table and placed the letter on top. He went to the bathroom and took a quick bath.

After getting dressed and picking up the letter, he got out of his room and walked to the kitchen. Brenn was already sitting there – eating breakfast.

"Hey dude! Ready to go kick some death eater butts?" joked Brenn. He was currently stuffing his mouth with bacon – the fork suspended in midair near his mouth; the bacon hanging loosely.

"'Morning. Yeah, but I have to send a letter first. Do you have an owl?" Harry asked. He already reasoned that Brenn doesn't have an owl but it's worth the try.

"Sorry, mate. I don't. I don't send letters. I usually use the floo network." Brenn explained and threw another bite of bacon in his hungry mouth.

"Oh. Do you think Gabrielle has one?" He asked. Brenn seemed to deliberate for a moment while chewing slowly. "Yuh." The eating bloke answered, not even bothering to swallow his food.

"Okay. Thanks mate. I'll just go to their flat and ask a favor. You eat well there." Harry shook his head at his new friend and smirked. This guy really reminds him of Ron's eating habits.

"Sure. I'll just stay here, eating." Brenn smiled back and continued eating. Harry turned on his spot and apparated in Gabrielle's flat's front door.

He lifted his hand and rung the doorbell. After several seconds, the front door opened and Cho stood in front of him. She was already dressed as well. She wore muggle jeans that embraced her curves in the perfect places and a purple shirt that showed here slim waist. If Harry wasn't in love with Hermione and still infatuated with Cho, he would have blushed deep red. She was beautiful in her own way. Especially with her shiny black hair flowing graciously down her back.

"Oh. Hey, Cho. Good morning. Where are you going?" He asked, his left hand clutching the letter.

"I'll go arrange the errand I'm supposed to arrange. You know, the reason I'm sent here." She answered. Cho eyed him for a moment and her gaze settled on the small envelope clutched in his hand. "What's that you got there?"

"Oh. Err I was planning to send a letter but I remembered I haven't got a new owl and I was wondering if Gabrielle has one." He asked her and smiled – showing off his white teeth.

Her heart raced in her chest at that stunning smile. How she wished he would always smile like that to her. "Gabrielle's in the bathroom and yeas she's got on owl. Give me the letter. I'll just send it myself."

Harry smiled once more. "Sweet! Thanks, Cho." Harry handed her the letter. "Err. I'll go now and by the way, Brenn and I won't be staying in the flat for the day. We're going…err…somewhere." He added the last word hesitantly.

She understood fully well what he meant. She remembered both the boys are on the same mission for the Ministry. "Got it. See you when I see you, then. Take care." She smiled. It took all her might not to say three more heartfelt words to him.

Harry waved and said thanks once more and turned on the spot. With a crack, he disapparated.

Cho closed the door once he left. She eyed the letter and turned it. She stared at the front of the envelope and read the supposed receiver of the mail.

HERMIONE GRANGER

She sighed. Her hand that clutched the letter was trembling. It was for Hermione. She should have expected this. Her heart felt heavy in her chest. It stung and jealousy took over her again. "This letter would have to be lost in the owl mail." She mumbled to herself as she pocketed the letter. She would never send it.

She walked to the coat hanger to grab her coat and walked off towards the bathroom to say goodbye to Gabrielle. After saying goodbye, she turned on her spot and disapparated.

Darkness engulfed her as usual and after mere moments, bright light blinded her and her feet landed in concrete. She looked around. She was no longer in Gabrielle's flat. She was standing in front of a door. It appears that she apparated directly inside the property. She remembered McGonagall telling her that the place was a pureblood residence. That can explain the reason why nobody bothered to look at her when she appeared in there out of thin air.

Come to think of it, she didn't even know the place. But she managed to apparate in there. How that happened? She didn't know. McGonagall told her to just repeat the name of the place in her mind while she apparate and it will work. It did bring her somewhere but did it bring her in the right place? She was about to find out. She lifted her hand and rung the doorbell. After several seconds, the door opened and the proud wizard who turned down an offer from Hogwarts stood in front of her.

"You!" She practically spat in his face. The wizard groaned loudly after gaping at her like a fish for full three minutes.

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A/N: Chapter 11 is up! Guess who the wizard is. Haha!

By the way, Harry's mission is to lead the group of Aurors and capture a group of death eaters. The group of minor death eaters is led by Avery and Macnair and Harry and Brenn are the two leaders of the group of Aurors.

Cho has to convince the wizard to take the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Hint: You know him pretty well. Who is he? Guess who.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I'm not JKR. I don't own HP.

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Chapter 12:

A curly haired witch sat silently in the backyard of the Burrow. It was an amazing morning. The petals and leaves of the flowers planted in the yard are covered with droplets of water. The morning beam reflected in the droplets and created small rainbows.

The birds were chirping merrily from their nest in the trees that surrounded the Weasley home. Every being in the place seemed to be having a joyous morning. Even the garden gnomes were gleefully laughing their lungs out – if that was even possible. The atmosphere in the place was light and happy. It's as if the world was a real life fairy tale and this seems like what they called as the happy ending – no conflicts and no problems. It's perfect.

Hermione sat silently in the bench overlooking the backyard. She didn't know the reason behind it but she was really happy. She was aware that nobody in the whole house was awake besides her. But being alone doesn't seem to be so bothering. It was peace and quiet. A contented smile was plastered in her face as she listened to the morning melody that the birds were making.

The rooster cried – signaling the morning. Hermione's smile widened even more as she stood up and strolled towards the house. She entered it without making any noise. She journeyed to Ginny's room and entered noiselessly. Ginny was silently sleeping in her bed. Hermione's bed was pleasantly done. Instead of going for her cot, she turned and walked towards the side of it where a small crib stood.

She placed her hands in the railing of the baby crib and leaned in. Inside the crib was the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. He has untidy black hair and pale skin. The baby squirmed and opened it eyes and he turned even more adorable. A pair of piercing, beautiful, green eyes stared at Hermione. A small smile crept to the baby's red lips and it squeaked in delight.

Hermione held out her hands and took the baby. She held him across her chest and cradled him. The baby's hair fell to the side of his face as he wriggled happily in Hermione's arms. And there, where his hair was a minute ago was a lightning bolt scar. At that instant, Hermione realized why the baby was unlike any other. There was only one reason why he's special. Because… he is Harry Potter.

As soon as Hermione realized it, she blinked her eyes. The baby fidgeting happily in her arms, changed in front of her. The once black hair changed its color to brown and its straight, untidy characteristic was transformed into a curly mess. The formerly visible scar vanished in an instant and the previously pale skin, became cream colored.

She smiled contentedly at the baby in her arms. He was a copy of Harry except for the hair and skin which seemed to mirror hers. The baby smiled back at her with twinkling eyes and he lifted his small hands and placed it in her cheeks lovingly before murmuring "Mama".

Hermione woke up that morning the same way she slept – with a smile in her lips. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. Ginny was still sleeping soundly under her blankets. The curtains were drawn and the room was still slightly dark. Hermione's eyes wavered beside the bed where the crib was placed in her dream. She stared at the place as a small smile played in her lips. What could the dream mean? Was it her desire to have a baby with Harry? Maybe…

"What's with that smile?" Ginny said groggily. Hermione didn't notice her wake up during her daydreaming session. Ginny stretched her arms and slid out of the bed. She sat with Hermione and asked excitedly. "What did you dream of?"

"Hmmm." She answered dreamily. Her smile never left her lips. She had a hunch that she would be doing that a lot all day.

"What? Come on, come on. Tell me!" Ginny urged eagerly. She had already pulled her legs and bent it in a cross sitting position in Hermione's bed.

Hermione propped her head in her hands and looked at Ginny. "Well…" She started. Ginny listened to her intently as she recalled and told her about her marvelous dream.

"That means you desire to have a baby with Harry?" Ginny asked with a smirk after Hermione told her the whole tale of the dream.

"I don't know. Do you think that that's the meaning of it? Showing me my desire?" Hermione asked innocently. She doesn't have any hint of what the dream meant and being the brightest witch of their age, that is saying something.

"Maybe. You said you were happy in the dream. What else could it mean besides being your desire?" Ginny interrogated. The issue really made the both of them curious. "Why don't we just ask Fred and George about it?" Ginny offered.

"No way, I'm not going to tell them what I dreamt about. They would take the mickey out of me if I did." Hermione shook her head forcefully.

"Then. Let's just tell them that you forgot what you dreamt of and ask them what the potion does. That would do the trick." Ginny offered.

Hermione deliberated for a second and then nodded. "Okay, let's go eat breakfast."

Ginny stood up – apparently satisfied about their plan of interrogating her brothers.

The both of them set off for the kitchen. Just like the past morning, the whole family was already seated around the kitchen table when they went down – the whole family except the twins.

"Where are the twins?" Ginny asked as she and Hermione sat down at their usual spot.

"They're at their room. They insisted on eating breakfast there. Must be working on something." Ron answered Ginny while stuffing his mouth with food.

"Too bad." Hermione murmured. She started eating as well. As usual, the breakfast is unsurprisingly delicious. What could they expect? Molly Weasley is the cook.

Breakfast passed normally that day. Before they know it, breakfast was already over and all of them were extremely full.

While Hermione, Ginny and Ron was staying at the living room after breakfast, (Ron and Hermione were sitting separately in the two single couches while Ginny sat in the big sofa) a brown owl swooped through the windows and landed on Hermione's shoulder. The owl was holding a letter in its beak and the letter has the Hogwarts' seal in it.

"It has the Hogwarts seal. It must be from McGonagall." Ron said as he patted his bulging tummy.

"Do you think Hogwarts would be reopening this year?" Ginny asked her brother.

Hermione took the letter off the owl's beak and looked at it. It was addressed to her. While Ginny and Ron were having a conversation of their own, Hermione opened and read the letter silently.

_Dear Ms. Granger, _

_I am honored to invite you to teach at Hogwarts. A witch with talents like yours would be the most suitable to have the post of Transfigurations Professor. In your days at the school, I, myself, have seen your talents and I would be honored to have you as the new Transfigurations Professor and Head of Gryffindor House._

_In connection with this topic, I know that you haven't taken your N.E.W.T.s. yet. As you know, in order to be a professor at the school, you must have an OUTSTANDING grade in both your O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. in the subject you are applying – or in this case, offered. Considering your talents and knowledge, I know that you can pass your N.E.W.T.s with high grades even if you don't go back for your seventh year. And your O.W.L.s result in that subject is OUTSTANDING as well._

_If you are interested in the post, I would like to inform you that I will be giving examinations next week. I will be allowing you to take your N.E.W.T.s in order to be qualified to teach. _

_If you are interested, send a reply to me or floo me. If Mr. Ronald and Ms. Ginevra Weasley are interested as well, they can also take the examination. I believe Ms. Weasley is planning to play for Holyhead Harpies instead of going back for her seventh year and might be highly interested._

_I'm hoping that you would accept my offer and take the post of Transfigurations Professor. I will be expecting you. Thank you and Keep safe._

_PS: If you want to talk to Mr. Potter, I slipped his address in the same envelope of this letter. Say hi to him for me._

_Yours truly,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Hogwarts Headmistress_

Hermione finished reading the letter and looked inside the envelope. As mentioned, the envelope contains a card. She retrieved it and read the contents.

_Number 17 Monsieur Francesco Demeure Paris, France_

She slid the address back in the envelope – thinking that it wouldn't be needed at the time.

"What did she say?" Ron inquired.

"Well, McGonagall's offering me to teach Transfigurations and she said that I can take my N.E.W.T.s next week even if I will not be coming back for my 7th year. She also said that you can take the examination as well, and also Ginny. Somehow, she managed to know that she's planning to play for Holyhead. We have to study on our own if we won't be coming back." Hermione finished. She settled the letter down on the table and faced Ginny and Ron. "So, are you taking the exam next week?"

"Wait! How did she know that? I didn't tell her I'll be joining the Harpies." Ginny asked incredulously.

"Well, she's just like Dumbledore. Knowing things by herself." Hermione answered Ginny.

"Heh! Being Head of a school has it's perks." Fred explained to them as he descended the stairs – George following behind. The twins took a seat at either side of Ginny on the big sofa.

"Yeah. So are you going?" Hermione turned her attention to Ginny once more.

"Of course. You'll help me study, right?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"Yeah, of course. Ron, what do you think?" Hermione asked. They all turned their attention to Ron.

"Do you think I can make it if the deadline is next week? I hardly got through my O.W.L.s and I got the whole year to prepare." Ron grumbled.

"I'll help you review, don't worry. Just make sure that you pay attention." Hermione offered to him and gave him a stern look. Ron placed his hand on his chin to think and after weighing the odds, he came to a decision.

"Okay. I will. Besides, if I don't pass, I can always work on your joke shop, right Fred, George?" Ron asked his older brothers.

"Of course, bro. We'll give you the highest position." Fred said and turned to George. "Right, George?"

"You bet, brother." And their signature grin was back in their faces again. "You'll be our Chief E.S."

"What's that?" Ron asked curiously.

"Chief Experimental Subject. In short, Chief Guinea Pig" Ginny answered for the twins and laughed out loud. The others joined the cackling fest.

"That's not funny." Ron grumbled and faced Hermione. "By the way, if you're going to accept the job, that means that you'll be staying at Hogwarts?"

"Yes. I guess so." Hermione replied as she wiped her teary eyes after laughing so hard.

"Then your problem is solved. You were looking for a job and a place to stay, right?" Ginny said while she straightened her posture. Something shimmering from Fred's shirt caught her attention and she prodded it.

"Yeah. Do you think I should accept it?" Hermione asked the opinion of her best girl friend.

"Why not? You're perfect for it." Ginny answered while absent-mindedly poking Fred's shirt. A part of his sleeve has gold glitters – the same shade as the potion. "What's this?" Ginny asked her brother while holding up the glitter she picked up from Fred's shirt.

"That's from our potion. Speaking of which, we'd like to know what you dreamt of last night, Hermione." Fred said. Ron suddenly perked up from his seat and waited for Hermione to answer.

"Well. Err." Hermione started hesitantly. She was about to say that she forgot her dream when George suddenly interrupted.

"We'd like to know about it. But we have some business meeting to attend to. Right, Fred?" George cut in. He stood up and dusted his shirt. He shook his shirt and the glitters clinging into it flew in the air and like the glitters in the potion, it circled them and formed a shape – a star, this time – and flew out the window.

Everybody stared – with amazed eyes – out the window where the glitters exited. A smile crept up in Hermione's lips at the sight of the amazing exhibition.

"Wow. I still can't believe that we made something that amazing, George. It's not fit for a joke shop but still, mystical and fantastic at the same time. Congratulations again, brother. We've done it." Fred proudly said. His chest popped out smugly.

"Congratulations too, my brother. I can't wait to sell this one on the shop. Though it's not for joking purposes, it will still be a bang – that's for sure. Now come on. We'll be late." George smirked at his twin and then turned to Hermione. "You'll tell us about that dream of yours later, Hermione."

"S-sure. Alright." Hermione stammered. Whatever happens, her mind is set that she would never recount her dream to them.

The twins went to the door and swished their wands. From their room, two broomsticks flew into their hands. They both mounted it and waved. "Ginny, tell mum that we'd be at the shop and then at the ministry." Fred said. "We won't be back until dinner." George piped in. the both exited the house and with a kick, they took off. As they were passing the window, they both said "Goodbye!" and then they were zooming like lunatics in the air.

* * *

A/N: Another chapter is up, guys. I'll give a jar of virtual chocolate chip cookies to anybody who can interpret Hermione's dream. You want some? Then start guessing. Haha!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I didn't own HP. I don't own HP and I will never own HP. I don't own Percy Jackson as well.

Chapter 13:

Cedric Diggory was having a very pleasant day watching a muggle movie in his own flat when his doorbell rang. He stood up grumpily, paused the movie and went to open the door. Who could be that annoying git who disturbed his movie?

He twisted the doorknob with an annoyed expression glued in his face. He looked ready to yell at the person who caused the disturbance. But when he opened the door and found a witch – whom he's so familiar with – standing at his doorstep, his voice suddenly ran away, hid and refused to come out.

So when Cho yelled "You?" at his face, he did a very genius thing – he gaped at her like a fish.

"It's you?" She spat at him once more. She blinked her eyes at him disbelievingly and his jaw dropped slack.

"Hey! Are you planning to let me in or at least answer my questions or are you just gonna gape at me like that?" Cho snapped her fingers in an attempt to awaken Cedric from his paralysis. When Cedric didn't stir, she cupped his chin and closed his mouth. Then, she crossed her arms in her chest.

Cedric woke up from his reverie and shook his head to clear it up. "Please tell me that McGonagall didn't send you here."

"I can't. Because she did." She answered him.

Cedric inwardly groaned. The woman won't just leave him alone with his decision. How annoying could the professor get? He opened the door wider and motioned Cho to come in.

She silently entered his flat and walked to the living room. The place wasn't too elegant and spacious but it was really cozy and it felt homely. Cedric stood next to her after closing the door. He offered her to sit down on the fluffy white couch while he went to the kitchen to get something to drink.

She sat quietly and glanced at the black box that was attached to the wall opposite the couch. It was identical to the black box in Brenn's flat. She realized that something was playing and decided to ask. "Ced, what's playing on the tevlision?"

Cedric walked carefully to the couch with his hand clutching a tray of pumpkin juice. He placed it carefully on the coffee table and sat beside Cho on the couch. He chuckled. "It's a television, Cho. And I'm watching a muggle movie. It's… err… Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief."

"Ohhh. So that's what Brenn meant. That's what the black box does. It shows a movie? I thought movies can only be watched on cinemas? My cousin brought me to one a couple of years ago. It was awesome." She said. She picked u a mug of juice and started sipping.

"Televisions show the movies but the DVD player there" He pointed at the DVD player placed on a small cabinet beneath the television. "That plays the CDs and the DVDs. CDs and DVDs are circular discs that contain a record of the movies that are played on cinemas. They record it in discs so that people can buy them and watch them on their own homes whenever they want to." Cedric explained. He took a mug. "That's what I love about the muggle world. The entertainment." He lifted the mug to his mouth and drank slowly.

Cho just nodded while she drank the juice again. Cedric settled the drink down in the coffee table and flicked his wand. Two platters of chocolate cake swerved from the kitchen and landed in the table.

"Now, start your business. You were sent by McGonagall to convince me about the post aren't you?" Cedric asked Cho.

"As I've said a while ago, yes." Cho told him.

"She just won't give up!" Cedric sighed loudly and stabbed at a small piece of chocolate cake grumpily and ate it.

"If you weren't so bloody proud and just accept it, she wouldn't give you such a hard time." She told him as she ate a small piece of cake also.

"I'm not proud." Cedric defended himself. Cho snorted at him and he rolled her eyes at her. "I'm telling you. I'm not proud. It's just for me, my life is Quidditch and I'm waiting for the chance to join a team." Explained Ced.

"Why don't you just give it a try? This is Hogwarts we're talking about. Not just any other school. Come on, It's your alma mater. Jut try for one year and see if you'll like it. You're good at teaching. Not to mention DADA. Just give it a go and if you don't like it or a Quidditch career offer comes, you're free to go. They just want you to, at least, try." Cho convinced. She blinked at him with puppy dog eyes and Cedric could swear, his heart just melted.

He released a long sigh and stared at Cho and realizing that she wouldn't give up that easy, he might be able to use her persistence at his advantage. After all, if she's not gonna give up, that means she'll have to spend more time with him. And with that advantage, he might be able to make her close to him and if he's lucky enough, maybe she'll fall for him. Maybe she'll get over Harry. After all, during those times that he spent some time with the Weasleys and Harry the summer from two years ago, he could swear he noticed that Harry's looks at Hermione were far from friendly and surely, anybody can notice that. Maybe she could use some help on getting over him.

"I'll think about it." He told her ad a smirk formed on his lips.

Cho looked at him with the intensity that made him blush and then she spoke with determination. "If you're smiling like that 'cause you think that I'll give up after this, you're wrong. I'm not going back to England unless you say yes."

He faked a frown and another sigh. _This is going to be great_. He thought as he slumped his shoulders and slouched sadly – fake, of course – in the couch.

"Cho smiled at him proudly. "I'm not gonna give up. So you might as well say yes." She said as she took another piece of cake in her mouth.

"We'll see about that." Cedric spat at her.

"Yeah, we'll see. You'll surely give in when I'm through with you. Now play that movie 'cause I want to watch that Jercy Packson something." She said as she fixed her position in the couch and faced the television.

Cedric laughed loudly. "It's Percy Jackson!" He said as he roared with laughter.

Cho blushed furiously. " Whatever." She murmured as she gave him a death glare.

Cedric chuckled at her reaction and reached for the remote and pressed play. "There. Let's watch and tell me who that Brenn bloke is." Cedric smiled at her and she started to talk while Percy Jackson was getting tramped by a hideous Fury named Alecto.

Harry and Brenn were conversing silently about the Dark Arts when a group of men walked to them and smiled. Each man was wearing tees and jeans – some are tattered and some are faded. They all summoned a seat and sat around the table.

Harry looked around the table and met the smiles of six new men. Brenn sat properly and started introducing people.

"Harry, I'd like you to meet Carter. We were classmates back at Crosby University of Sorcery (A/N: I can't think of any other name. Peace. And it rhymes! Hee Hee )." Brenn introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Great Harry Potter, sir." Carter said with a joking smirk. He offered his hand for Harry to shake. The guy looked a year or two older than Harry but just as cheerful as a fourteen year old and had the same accent as Brenn.

Harry blushed at what Carter called him but took his hand nevertheless. "Nice to meet you Carter. Call me Harry. Just Harry."

Carter smiled at him and Brenn proceeded to introducing the others. "This is Marvin, Phillip, William, Andrew and Timothy." Brenn said as he pointed to the respective owners of the names. Harry shook all of their hands and smiled at them. Most of the aurors were older by five years than him. Only Brenn and Carter were a couple of years older.

"So. Err. You guys are here to accompany me in catching a horde of death eater lunatics?" Harry started as he looked at the faces of his companions.

"And kick their butts, yeah! We'd love to." Carter answered him. The others roared with laughter.

"Of course. We will. But first we've got to know who and how many they are and what they're planning." Harry's leader instincts kicked in and they all went serious.

"I was informed that there were a minimum of twelve of them and still recruiting. But we can be sure that if they're recruiting, that means that the new ones will be minor wizards and won't be that difficult to fight." Phillip told everyone.

"But still, if there are a minimum of twelve of them, we're completely outnumbered. We're just half of them." William piped in.

"We're trained for years, William. And we have Harry on our side. I bet once they see him, most of those pathetic loons would be running to hide under their moms' skirts." Carter boasted. Little by little, this guy's starting to remind Harry of his godfather.

"Yeah. But I was told that a certain Avery and a Macnair are leading the group. Have you heard of them, Harry?" Marvin – who was sitting across Harry – leaned across table and asked.

"Yes. I have. They are in Voldemort's inner circle." Harry stated. He slightly smiled when he saw nobody flinch at the sound of Voldemort's name. Looks like he's got a group of brave Aurors, seeing as they're not afraid of a bloody name.

"Are there other death eaters in Voldie's inner circle that are running around besides those two?" Carter inquired. It appears that he found the name 'Voldemort' ugly so he decided to give him a cute name. But no, Voldemort's most definitely not cute.

"They're all in Azkaban. I think those two and the ones they're leading are the last. So we have to finish it once and for all." Harry answered.

"You bet, Harry. Even if we are outnumbered, we're better. Just like what Carter said, we're trained for these kinds of things. And it would be fun, don't you think?" Andrew cheerfully asked the whole group. They all nodded and smiled.

"That's the spirit, mates. So Harry, what's the plan?" Timothy – the oldest – asked Harry and all attention turned to him at once.

Harry cleared his throat and started telling them the plan that he came up with the past night. "I know where they're meeting. It's at this muggle bar. McGonagall told me the name. All we have to do now is spy on them and find out what they're planning and on the right time when we're ready, we'll sabotage and attack them." Harry finished. He looked at the faces of his companions and they're faces lit up. Carter beamed at him.

"That's great, Harry. I'm sure we'll be able to put a stop on those weirdoes soon." Carter said. His eyes were twinkling with anticipation. Everyone else were smiling except for Brenn. Harry was about to ask him what the problem was when Brenn's stomach answered him. His stomach growled loudly and the others' heads snapped to Brenn and they all cackled loudly.

"Looks like all of those things would have to wait. We can't do anything with an empty stomach." Timothy said. He snapped his fingers when a waiter passed them. The waiter walked to them and took their orders. He talked to an invisible companion with the use of his wand and after a while, he flicked it and several plates and utensils landed on the table and they all dug in.

A/N: Here ya go! Please review people. That button down there won't bite. Come on. If you appreciate this fic, give me some feedbacks. PLEASE?

QUINZY: Ahahaha. There ya go. CEDRIC's the wizard. I know he died in the series but I don't really want him to die. So he's alive on this one. And I can't banish Cho. Sorry. She has a lot of things to do. What do yah know? Maybe in the end she'll make up for all the mistakes she did.

REVIEW!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I wasn't JK. If I was, then Fred and Cedric wouldn't be buried 6 feet under. But hey, I love Jo! And I don't own HP.

Chapter 14

Time passed by quickly. Hermione didn't expect the days to drag on that fast. It seemed that Time was riding a Firebolt and dragging Days and Weeks and even Months with him. What's surprising is that during the passing days, Hermione never felt a pang of sadness. Yes, she missed Harry; a LOT. But unlike the night when he left her, she didn't feel the sting of emptiness anymore. And as days dragged on, it dawned on her that she can look back on her memories and times with Harry without feeling sad and hurt. It seemed like he didn't leave her all alone at all. It's like he left a part of him with her – in her – and that part filled the gap.

Two months passed and everything was perfect for her despite the absence of Harry. The twins never had the chance to talk to her. After their morning trip to the Ministry, they came back late. Since then, they spent every single time in their rooms – claiming than they're about to reach their dreams. And after a week, they moved in on the top floor of their shop. Even though Fred and George visit the Burrow, they never really had the chance to talk alone. And that was just perfect. Because it meant that the twins never asked about her dream…until now…

Hermione bolted upright when she heard a loud bang downstairs. Even Ginny was woken up by the deafening explosion. They sprinted downstairs feeling concern and dread. What could be the problem?

"That was brilliant, Fred." Ron shouted at his brother while he patted his back. They were all laughing at Percy when the two girls went down.

"What the hell was that?" Shouted an exasperated Ginny once she descended the stairs completely.

A very maddened Percy answered her with a yell. "Fred and George played a prank on me!" His hair was singed and standing on end. His face was completely black – including his glasses. He took it off and a spectacle-shaped clean spot appeared where his glasses was once placed.

"So that explains the explosion. God, I thought something bad happened." Hermione said. She sighed with relief.

Percy glared at her and yelled. "And you think this is nothing bad?" He picked up his wand and said "Tergeo". Nothing happened. Fred and George laughed louder.

"My, beloved brother, that won't come off with magic. You have to wait until it comes off by itself. But no worries, you look extremely dashing that way." Said Fred and patted Percy's back and received a deadly glare from him.

"And did I mention that your hair made you look ultimately sexy!" George chimed cheerily and then roared with laughter. Percy grunted angrily and glared at the twins with such intensity that if looks could really kill, they would be buried six feet under by now.

"Come off it, brother. We just missed you. Didn't you miss us?" Fred asked – a pouty look glued in his face.

"Come to think of it, you rarely go home. You only go home during dinner every weekend." Ginny accused his brothers. "What are you guys doing?" She narrowed her eyes and raised her eyebrows at them.

"We already told you. We're working on our future. We are soon to open a shop on Hogsmeade and the Minister ordered thousands of Invisibility Hats (A/N: I don't know if that's what they really call It. The hats that make the person wearing them invisible.) for every Ministry official and worker. We have to work hard." George explained with pride. His chest puffed out.

"Why don't you all come here and sit down and let's talk about that during breakfast, hmmm?" Mrs. Weasley offered. Neither of them noticed that while they were all talking and shouting in the living room, breakfast was being laid all over the kitchen table. They all nodded and Ron's grumbling stomach agreed as well. They all sat at the table and ate while they talked about Fred, George and some other things.

After eating, Arthur went to the backyard with Percy and Ron while Molly went upstairs to clean – leaving Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George in the living room. (A/N: Bill, Fleur and Charlie weren't there.) Ginny and Hermione sat on two of the armchairs and Fred and George sat together in the couch. Ginny fiddled with her hair while Hermione read a book about Transfiguration.

"Hey, Ginny, We invented a Charm perfume. I sprayed it on myself. Do you think I smell delicious and charming?" Fred suddenly asked. He kneeled in front of Ginny and pulled his shirt to her – for her to smell the perfume.

Hermione caught the smell and she felt as if her stomach turned upside down because of the wretched smell. She felt all the food she ate were trailing back up her throat. She stood up and ran for the bathroom.

Fred crunched his eyebrows and raised them. "Do I smell horrible?" He asked incredulously.

"I think you smell awesome. Don't mind her. She's always like that every morning. She throws almost everything she eats." Ginny explained. She turned her head and looked at the door of the bathroom. Hermione was still throwing up inside it.

"But she looks like she's getting fatter." Said George. At that moment, Hermione came out of the bathroom and sat back at the chair – her hand clutching her stomach.

"Are you alright?" asked Ginny with concerned look.

"I'm alright. Don't mind me." Hermione said. Her face was really pale and she was panting.

"Take some medicines, Hermione. A simple appetite potion would do the trick. Maybe you're eating too much that's why you're throwing it out. Speaking of potions, we haven't had the chance to ask you about your dream. What did you dream about?" George asked Hermione. Fred sat back in the couch and leaned forward to hear what Hermione would say. Both the twins had sparkle in their eyes as they waited for Hermione's story.

"Err. I forgot about it. It's been nearly two months now. You don't reckon I'll still remember it, do you?" Hermione lied. Of course she remembered the dream perfectly. How could she forget about Harry and that adorable baby?

"Awww. Too bad. We would love to hear it. Oh well, you'll experience it sooner or later. So you really didn't lose anything." Explained Fred. He placed his hands behind his head and leaned back in the sofa.

"What do you mean 'experience'?" Hermione asked curiously. Her pale face is now returning its former cream color only to turn pale again later.

"You mean you still don't know what the dream means?" George asked incredulously. It's not likely that the most intelligent witch of their age would be so dumb to even interpret her own dream.

"We reckon it shows you your desire." Ginny piped in. She leaned forward as well – apparently curious about the topic.

"Oh no, dear sister. It doesn't show desires. It's more awesome than that. It's prophetic. It shows the future." Fred said while he leaned in the sofa – his eyes closed.

At the sound of what the potion does, Hermione paled again and the images of the baby from her dream swam in her mind. That could only mean one thing. But it can't be. She stared dumbstruck at Fred. Ginny was doing the exact same thing. She was staring blankly at Hermione – surprise was evident in her beautiful face.

While Hermione was staring at Fred blankly, George was fiddling at a thread in his shirt – completely oblivious at the reactions on both Hermione and Ginny's faces.

"Fred, George! Come here and help us degnome the garden." Arthur Weasley's voice sounded from the backyard. The twins turned their head on the door and shouted back simultaneously.

"Fred and George aren't here!" They both shouted.

"And what do you call yourselves?" Arthur shouted back.

"We're not Fred and George. I'm Gred and he's Forge!" Fred shouted. He pointed at his twin when he mentioned the name 'Forge'.

"I'm not buying that. Now get out here and help! You've been away for a long time. It's time to help out and pay for the times you weren't here." Their father yelled from outside.

"If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't want to go back." Fred murmured as he and George stood up and went outside without looking back at the two ladies.

Once the prank masters were out of earshot, Ginny turned to Hermione and asked. "When did you last experienced that time of the month?"

Hermione didn't need to count. It had been two months since she had her period. She scolded herself mentally for not realizing sooner that she was delayed by two months. She shook her head to answer Ginny.

"Oh my god. You're pregnant?" Ginny asked. It sounded more like a declaration rather than a question and Hermione's face looked like her best friend just made her funeral declaration…

A/N: It's up! Whatcha think? Come on, review! I have an announcement to make.

ATTENTION: School's starting and I'm going to college. So I don't know if I'll be able to update frequently. But I'm sure that tons of reviews would definitely fix that. The current count of my reviews is 16. I think I would update when it turns 25. Come on. Just give me feedbacks and reviews, guys. So that I would be inspired to update faster. PLEASE? Give me reviews until it reaches 25 but no flames, please?

BapiKye96: Yay! You guessed right. Hooray! Okay, here's your prize! *hands a jar of virtual cookies* Hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the review, by the way. And give me more.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't think I'd be writing fanfics if I was the owner of HP. Don't you think so?

Chapter 15

Cedric descended his stairs with a very joyous mood. He was happy and he was cheerful and he was everything positive and he was also whistling.

Just like any other guy, he went straight to his fridge the moment he came down the stairs. He peeked inside to look for something to munch on and he was utterly disappointed about what he saw: his fridge was completely empty. Darn! And he was looking forward to a full stomach that day. Hmmm. Oh well, he just has to shop, then.

He went back to his room to change into something presentable. After all, he's Cedric Diggory. He was never ever seen out in public in only his shorts, right? That wouldn't be Cedric-ish.

After changing into jeans and black tees, he grabbed his wand along with a pouch of muggle money. Even if he lives in a wizard neighborhood, he still enjoys muggle food more than wizard food. He'd rather make food with his bare hands than use magic to cook. After all, his talent in cooking isn't just for nothing, right?

He continued to whistle when he went down the stairs. He snatched his jacket from the coat hanger beside the door and twisted the knob. He was still whistling when he pulled the door wide open. At that moment, the sound he was about to make with his lips was suddenly caught up in his mouth and instead, he made a strangling sound.

A gorgeous witch with beautiful, long, black hair (A/N: remember, people, I'm writing this part of the chapter with a hint of Cedric's perspective. Cho is gorgeous, remember that, in Cedric's eyes.) was standing in his doorstep. Her hand was suspended in midair just an inch away from his doorbell.

"Oh. Hey, I was just about to…" Cho trailed away as her eyes dropped from Cedric's face to his attire and the jacket in his hand. "Are you supposed to be going somewhere? You're not escaping, are you?" Cho asked. Her face paled while she waited for an answer.

Cedric composed himself and roared with laughter at her reaction. "Escape? From you? Are you kidding me? That's good, Cho. That's good." He continued to laugh at her. Cho's formerly pale face started to redden. She glared at him and placed her hands on her hips.

"Why are you laughing, Cedric Anthony Diggory?" She demanded. Cedric stopped laughing but a crooked grin was still plastered in his face.

"Wait, why are you even here, Cho?" Cedric asked her. Cho opened her mouth to answer but Cedric cut her off. "On second thought, I, err, don't need and don't want to know. Anyways, I'm going to the muggle market to buy some supplies. I'm not planning on staying in my flat the whole day. Come with me and I'll give you a tour of this place before shopping. Watcha say?"

"Sounds good to me. Err, how are we going to get there, Cedric?" Cho inquired. Cedric walked out of the house and grabbed her hand after locking the door behind him.

"We're traveling the muggle way, Cho. It's an awesome idea, don't you think?" Cedric asked with a smile as he dragged Cho out the gate and into the streets. He shifted his hand from holding Cho's and draped it across her shoulders instead. They walked down the streets in that position and Cedric thought his day was about to get better.

Harry met up with his team at the very same pub they met up the past day. He ushered them into a big, round table at a far corner of the pub to avoid being eavesdropped. Once they were all seated, Harry started to talk.

"Okay, guys, before I went here, Professor McGonagall told me where they suspected the death eaters to be meeting. And it was in a French pub. She told me the name. But since… err... I'm new to this place; I really don't know where that place is. Can any of you take us to the pub, instead? The pub is called. "Serpent Sitter"?" Harry asked his teammates. Harry knew that his men would be expecting him to know exactly what to do and where to go. But hey! Harry just moved into a completely foreign place with a complete stranger. They couldn't really blame him.

Brenn glanced at his friends and smiled at Harry. Then, he answered. "I know that place. I once dropped in there, ya know? I thought it was a good place. But man! It was really dark in there! Seems like the sun doesn't shine in that place. And mind you, all the customers were wearing hoods. And-"Brenn was cut off by Carter.

"What'd you expect, dude? It's called SERPENT Sitter. Obviously, the people in there are supposed to be weird and dark. You needn't be surprised. I should be the one surprised that you would even dare to go to that place. Where is this place, anyway? You're the one who'd been staying in here the past years. You should, at least, take us there, right?" Carter asked. Some nodded in agreement and some answered "Yeah."

"So, would you lead us there, Brenn?" asked Harry.

Brenn nodded his head. "Sure. But after we get there, what are we gonna do exactly, Harry?" Brenn asked and the others head were turned into Harry's direction at once.

"As we planned, we're gonna spy on them for now. And since Brenn mentioned that the blokes there are all wearing hooded robes, I think we should disguise ourselves to avoid discovery. What do you think?" Harry spoke.

"Leave that to me, Harry." Timothy said as he pulled his wand from his pants pocket and with a flick, sets of black robes with hoods popped in their laps.

They all stood up and cloaked their robes around them. They pulled down the hoods and then… they were ready to go.

"Wow, I didn't know I could be this gorgeous in a black hooded robe. Who knows?" Carter started marveling at himself.

"Gorgeous? What are you talking about, man? We can hardly see your face." Brenn teased.

Carter playfully smacked him on the arm and the both of them just laughed.

"That's enough, guys. Are we ready to go?" inquired Harry. He glanced at his team and he saw that they were all ready to go.

"You bet!" Carter answered. Harry nodded at all of them and started reminding them the facts and the plan.

"Okay, Brenn, you will take us to the pub and after that we'll split into two teams. That way, we won't be discovered. We will not attack, you got that? All we're doing is SPYING." Harry said. He emphasized the word SPYING and his team just nodded at him. Then, he continued. "We'll plan our next move according to what we'll find out today. But you guys have to know, after this, we're not just gonna attack. We'll have to prepare for this. So, clearly, this isn't going to be easy and this is not a short-term mission. This will take time. You understand that right, guys?"

All of them nodded behind their hoods. Harry started instructing them about their group division. The teams ended up with Tim, William, Andrew and Marvin on one team and Harry, Carter, Phillip and Brenn on the other.

"Remember, SPY not ATTACK. All right, let's go, guys." Harry pulled his hood lower and signaled to Brenn they all hooked hands and disapparated in a whirl of darkness.

After the whirling ended, they all found themselves standing in a dark alley. They cautiously looked around to check for observers and fortunately, the alley was completely deserted.

"I apparated here so that we can still split up and go in two different groups and time intervals. Harry, I think they should go first." Brenn suggested

"Good thinking, Brenn. Err…Tim, you got this, right? You have to go in first and then we'll follow after a few. And when we go out later, we'll be the first to go." Harry asked the wizard.

"Roger that, Harry. I got this. I'm gonna take the other flag of our team from you, for now. Don't worry about us." Tim answered with a wink. Harry smiled at him. Sometimes, it's good to have someone you can count on. In this mission, Harry was the one in charge but he knows that Tim is the one with the true essence of a leader and it's good to know that he's ready to help Harry anytime he fails to lead them.

Tim, Andrew, William and Marvin pulled their hoods lower over their heads and waved at Harry and the others. They walked to the door of the pub which was just several steps from the alley they apparated in.

Harry started counting. They have to enter at least five minutes after the first team in order to enter unnoticed. After a few minutes – Harry supposed it was already more than five minutes – they started to pull their hoods lower over their heads and walked to the same door that their friends vanished only a few minutes ago.

The pub was dark and eerie. It's just like how Brenn described it. The people inside the pub were all wearing hoodies. It was hard to see the faces of the occupants of the place. Harry didn't know who was who. He also didn't know who the enemies were and who his teammates were. Carefully, he stared around the room. He surveyed it – deciding which group of wizards is most likely to be the death eaters. Harry's eyes wandered at the farthest corner of the pub where a large group of wizards were huddled around a rectangular table. Nobody was talking and they all seemed waiting for someone. After seeing the large group, Harry had a hunch that this group was what they were looking for.

He signaled to his teammates – Carter, Phillip and Brenn – and led the way to the nearest table to the targeted group. They ended up sitting on the left side of the big table. After sitting, Harry noticed that another group was sitting in their group's right, positioned a little in front of them. Harry surveyed the group and instantly saw a familiar silver bracelet in the wrist of one of the guys. He stared at the hooded wizard and immediately recognized him as Marvin. His other team that Tim was leading was just sitting in front of them.

Another hooded wizard from Tim's team – It was Tim himself - jerked his head towards the big table. Immediately, Harry got the message that this big group was the death eaters.

Brenn raised his hand and a hooded waiter came to them. He ordered fire whiskeys and said "make that fast". He said it so impolitely with an added growl. The waiter shuddered and waved his wand with a shaking hand (It rhymes. Hee hee.) Their orders flew to their hands and the waiter left immediately.

They all drank their drinks and Harry swore he saw Carter – he guessed it was Carter – shake his head with a smirk before drinking from his glass.

After two sips, the door of the pub opened and two hooded wizards entered. The newcomers went to the rectangular table. Harry stiffened and so as his team. From the corner of his eyes, Harry saw Tim's fist clench.

The two wizards sat at the two empty seats on the table and started talking loud enough for the death eaters to hear – and fortunately, for Harry and the others to hear. Harry's team listened carefully but remembered to act uncaring every once in a while to avoid suspicion. While the death eaters continued to plan, the Aurors continued to spy.

"Whew! That was tiring!" Cedric exhaled loudly as he settled the bags in the kitchen counter. He just got home and finished shopping supplies from the muggle market and Cho just finished scolding him for shopping the muggle way and tiring her out.

"It's your fault. You insisted on shopping in a muggle market, whereas you live in a wizarding community. We should have saved time and energy if you just used magic in shopping, you idiot!" and she's starting again.

"Oh, come on, Cho. You barely do those things in the wizarding world, right? Aren't you getting tired of just whipping your wand here and there? Don't you—"

"Well, THIS surely tired me out!" She cut in and shot a death glare directly at Cedric's face.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Let me just… errr… make it up to you. Hmmm. What do you want to eat? I'll cook for you, whatever you want. Deal?" offered Cedric. He displayed his most pouty look and beamed at her.

Cho raised an eyebrow and asked "You can cook? Really, Ced?"

"Okay, was there sarcasm in that question, Cho?" Ced narrowed his eyes on her and crossed his arms.

Cho huffed and mimicked Cedric's pose. She crossed her arms and stood on one foot. "So, you detected it, eh?" She asked with a smug look on her face.

"Whatever, Cho. Now, what do you want to eat? Tell me before I change my mind." Cedric said as he took all the supplies out of the brown bag and settled them on the counter.

"If you really are an expert in cooking, just give me your specialty and I'll see for myself if I'll believe you." Cho said and walked towards the counter. She handed the cans and such to Cedric who was now standing on top of a chair and putting away supplies in the cabinets.

"Sure, I'll make you something that will surely make you forget your name." Cedric said with a smirk as he settled a can inside the cabinet.

They continued to place the supplies in the cabinet and after finishing it, Cedric started preparing the ingredients for their dinner. Cho decided to watch television in the living room, saying "I'll still be watching you, Ced. Don't do any magic with that food. Don't cheat." And she confiscated his wand.

"She really, really trusts me, huh? Wow, so much for being childhood friends." Cedric muttered to himself as he started cooking their dinner.

Cho watched the telly while she waited for the food to be ready. Occasionally, she would catch a waft of the smell coming from the food. And she must admit, it really does smell delicious.

After a little over an hour, Cedric emerged from the kitchen. He took off his apron and placed it in the counter. He clicked the telly off and sat beside Cho on the couch. He stared at her. She was asleep. The trip to the market did tire her out. He really had to make it up to her. Cedric brushed his finger softly against her rosy cheeks and whispered her name. "Cho, wake up. Dinner's ready."

Cho's POV

I opened my eyes with a handsome wizard beside me. He was brushing my cheeks and it tickled. I stared at his hazel brown eyes and almost got lost in them. They were beautiful. _Why didn't I notice this before? Cedric has mesmerizing eyes. Wait! What am I thinking? This is Cedric I'm talking about._ I thought and I immediately shook my head and leaned back in the couch to put distance between our faces which are scarily inching closer to each other a moment ago.

"Dinner's ready missy. You have to try it, remember? Come on. I'll help you up." He murmured softly as he got up. He offered me his hand and I awkwardly took it. He took me to the kitchen and to my surprise, the table was completely full with food. There were so many foods on the table and they all looked delicious.

"Wow." I muttered as I marveled on the foods. He ushered me into one of the seats. He pulled the chair to let me sit and then took his own seat beside me. He reached for one dish and served some on my plate. He did the same with two more dishes and served himself after me.

I took a bite of one of the food and tasted it. It tasted wonderful. "This is delicious!" I exclaimed as I took another bite. He smiled handsomely at me and he also took a bite.

He waved his hand and a bottle of wine flew from his ice box and landed in the table. He poured me some wine before he poured some for himself. _Since when did he learn wandless magic?_ I asked myself. I didn't know he can do that. Another wave of his hand and a white rose appeared in front of him. He took it and gave it to me. _Is it just me? Or did he suddenly turn romantic?_ I thought. And with that, memories from our past swarmed in my head.

He always does that every time we had dinner at some pub. He knew my favorite flower was rose and not just any rose. I love white roses. Don't get me wrong, those were just friendly dates. We love eating at Hogsmeade during Hogsmeade weekends when we were still at Hogwarts. Well, until I met Harry, that is. Those dates were just friendly dates and romantic in a friendly way but why do I have this feeling that this was something different? Ugh! I hate this feeling!

He smiled at me and I smiled back. As much as I hate to admit it, the food was delicious, the setting was romantic and the guy was great. Everything was wonderful but it scared me. As memories swarmed in my head, I felt something weird. Something tingly. I can't be feeling this. I shook all thoughts of the past from my head and concentrated in his face. His mouth was moving. God! He was talking to me and I didn't hear a single thing!

"Eh, Cho?" He finished what he was saying and I didn't catch a single word besides EH and my name.

"What? Sorry?" I asked him. I mentally scolded myself for being dazed long enough to make me seem stupid in his eyes.

"I said, this reminds me of our hang-outs at Hogsmeade before, eh?" He repeated what he said. Oh, was he thinking the same thing?

"Yeah, it does. Those FRIENDLY dates of ours." I said the word friendly with such emphasis that it made him frown.

"Yeah, those. I kind of miss it. Do you think we can hang out again? I mean… not just because of the convincing thing. Just me and you… hanging out…just like before. Can we?" He asked seriously. His eyes twinkled against the light and I can see that he anticipated this. Hungered for this, even.

"Sure, Ced. It won't hurt, would it?" I said with a smile.

"That's great." He said as he beamed at me and I swear… his eyes sparkled.

A/N: Okay guys. I'm back! Sorry for the extreeeeeeemely looooooong wait! To make it up to you, I'm uploading several chapters these coming days! Isn't that great! Yay! Well, I hope you like it, guys! Please Review! Please, Please, Please!

(Cue: enter character's thoughts…)

Cho: What is this tingly feeling in the pit of my stomach? Will I be able to convince Cedric? Will I be able to claim Harry back?

Cedric: What'll happen to me and Cho after this? Will I be able to win her heart this time?

Harry: What'll happen to our mission? Will we succeed in this without losing a companion? I hope so…

Carter: How gorgeous do I look on a hooded robe? Could I get even more gorgeous?

Brenn: Will Carter stop pestering us about his crappy look? When will these questions be answered? In the next chapters, mates!

Hermione: Why am I not in this chapter? Mystery! Explain yourself!

Me (Mystery): Hermione, will you calm down? I'll write about you in the next, next chapter, I promise! Now stop pummeling me with that broom. It hurts!

Sorry for being hyper today. REVIEW! ))


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer:

Draco: Hello there! Errrm…I have an ultimately brilliant question for you…Do you want me, the great Draco Malfoy, to enter this story? If yes, do you want me to be a baddie or a goody-goody? Tell Mystery about your answers. Just push the green button on the end of the page and tell her if you want me to or not. I hope you do, though. It would be great to have exposure, you know?

Me: Malfoy, can you please get on with the disclaimer before I get sued?

Draco: Wait! I'm trying to tell them somethi—

Me: Malfoy!

Draco: Oh, all right! Mystery doesn't own anything. Read on! Don't forget to tell her to put me in the *I enter and start pushing Malfoy off the page and towards the recycle bin on my desktop* storyyyyyyy!

Me: *smiles widely* read on, guys!

* * *

Chapter 16

Harry's POV:

I started pacing back and forth Brenn's living room. The tired bloke was slouched in his big couch watching me walk to and fro.

"Harry, calm down and sit. You're making me dizzy. Stop pacing, dude." He begged. I looked at him with worry in my eyes and walked towards the couch. I sat beside him and proceeded on tapping my shoes against the marble floor.

"Now you're giving me a headache. Just sit still, Harry. Please." He said. He wrapped his arm around his knees and pulled them to his chest. He might not be saying it but I know he's as worried as I am. We just went back home from spying the death eaters and I'm sorry to say that what we found out was completely devastating each of us. Apparently, the ones who met up at that weird pub was just half the number of the whole army and by the looks of it and based also on my headcount, there was about thirty wizards and witches sitting around that rectangular table. They were just half and it scared me to death that we'd be fighting that immense number and we're just eight.

"Sorry mate. I'm just worried. They're already thirty and they're just half of the whole. What do we have against them?" I asked helplessly. Brenn sighed slowly and started rocking back and forth in the couch.

"I know, Harry. But we have to do this. I know you. Based on what I'm hearing, anyways. You don't give up that easily. That's why you were the one asked to be in charge of this assault. Come on, Harry. Just rest for this night and we'll figure this out tomorrow. We're both exhausted. Let's just… sleep… come on." He started to stand up and I just nodded towards him.

After he vanished behind his door, I started to get up and made my way to my own room. I wasn't planning on sleeping yet even if it was already past midnight. I can't sleep in this state. I might as well come up with a plan while I wait for sleep to visit me. We have to do something. We have to act fast and the fates of all these seven souls rested on me and my decision. With just one mistake, I can drive them to their brutal deaths. And you still expect me to sleep on this one? Are you kidding? I'm under hysterics just thinking about the number of the enemy.

I laid on my bed and leaned my head against the headboard. I didn't know what to do. During these times, Hermione was the one doing the thinking. And where's she now? I have no idea.

At the thought of the girl I love, memories washed and doused my mind. Memories of us together during our childhood days flooded me. At the moment she entered that train compartment and said something so welcoming along the lines of "Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost one." I immediately knew she was someone special. Err, Urrrhm… that didn't go well. Erase that line with the quotations. I meant… As soon as I saw her, I immediately knew she was going to be special.

I smiled at the thought of our memories when we were kids. The way her bushy brown hair bounced whenever she walked proudly, the way her nose crunched up in disgust whenever Ron and I "forgot" to do our homework. In a way, thinking about Hermione made me feel like I wasn't alone - even if I was technically alone in my room. Thinking about her made me feel like there was someone out there who really believed in me and someone who'll accept me even if I become a total failure. And that someone was her.

I slid my back down the headboard and let my head fall on my soft pillow. I started to slowly drift to sleep – I know, I just said I won't sleep yet. But hey, I'm eating my words. That's not bad, right? Although, my words aren't really delicious – while the memory of Hermione's beaming face flashed in my mind and all thoughts of the coming dilemma and danger were stowed away in the back of my mind for the time being.

I woke up the next morning as the warm daybreak light burned through my eyelids. I opened my eyes only to close it again when the bright light hit my pupils. I rubbed my eyes and slowly shifted into a sitting position in my bed.

After adjusting to the blinding light coming from my open window – I guess I forgot to shut it last night – I pondered on what happened yesterday. I remembered the result of our eavesdropping on the death eaters and also remembered that I needed to make a decision. What shall we do? We're outnumbered and about the skills, we didn't know our standing in that aspect. We have to be ready for the worst. Wait! That's it! We have to get ready. We have to train. And it has to be as soon as possible.

I bolted out of the room and practically sprinted towards Brenn's room. I knocked wildly on his door – I'm sure he won't be thankful for that later. But what the heck? This has to be fast! He opened the door a millisecond later clutching his wand and a panic-stricken reaction plastered in his face.

"Where? Where are the death eaters Harry?" He asked while looking alertly around the hall. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were wide with shock and panic.

"Errr, nowhere?" I answered. I figured it wasn't wise to wake an Auror up by destroying his door when he'd just found out the past night that only weeks after our spying, his feet might just be half buried under the earth.

"Ugh! I thought there were intruders!" He retorted and shut the door in my face.

"I know what we'll do!" I shouted at the white door. Upon hearing my reason for freaking him out to the next century, he immediately yanked the door open.

"You do? What?" He asked eagerly – his hand never leaving the knob of the now loose-hinged door.

"We train." I answered with determination and a wide grin as if it answered all the questions existing in the edges of the world – even math equations. His response to me was equally brilliant – he cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

* * *

Cho's POV:

I was wearing my usual blouse and jeans with my wand in my pocket when I exited Gabrielle's flat. As usual, Gabrielle was nowhere in the house. She was somewhere. Arranging something and doing whatever she was doing. I just got past the door a nanosecond when I heard the door lock itself. I was just planning to go down to Brenn and Harry's flat to spend some time with them.

Minutes after found me in front of Brenn's flat. My hand was inches away from the knocker when the door opened automatically and out came a fully clothed Harry. He wasn't looking at where he was walking so our bodies ended up clashing together and our faces, inches away form each other.

"Oh! Errr. Sorry, Cho. Didn't see you there. I'm really sorry. Are you alright?" Harry panicked. He was clearly surprised to find me in front of their door. And is it just me or did he really seem shaky?

"I'm okay, Harry." I answered with the same shaky voice. Although I don't know if we had the same reasons for that. My heart was pounding and I was breathing heavily. Having his body so close to mine really does that to me. I looked him in the eye and I saw that he was nervous. Why so? I didn't know. But instead of asking that, I inquired a different thing. "Where are you going?" I asked. I get that a lot. Every time I arrive, they all just seem to…go somewhere.

"Oh. Errrm. Brenn and I were just leaving. Going to do some stuff. Err. What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Oh. You're leaving…again? I just wanted to drop by and err…see how…things are going on in here." I hesitated. I was supposed to ask him if he had some free time that he could spend with me. But as it seems, he doesn't.

"Uhhh. Well, we have to go somewhere, Cho. If you like, you can stay here in my flat and play some video games or watch some movies. You can also invite Gabrielle. You can both stay here while we're gone." Brenn chimed in. It was evident in his face that he was also jumpy like Harry. It seems like they were in a hurry.

"Gabrielle's not around." I replied with my head bowed. I didn't want them to feel guilty but I just can't bring myself to look again at Harry's face, let alone his eyes.

"Oh. Errr. Well then you can…invite someone over. Someone who's not Gabrielle. Because she's not home…according to you." stuttered Brenn. I did nothing but nod and mumble a low thanks as they went out the door and gestured for me to go inside.

As much as I would like to go with Harry, I knew that I can't. Not only because it was forbidden but also because I knew he wouldn't want me there. I sighed and strolled inside the flat. If I was in a normal mood and this was a normal circumstance, I would've been wide-eyed by the elegance of the flat even if it wasn't my first time in here. The size and class of the place can really do that to you. But this wasn't a normal circumstance and I was not in a normal mood – actually, it was far from normal – so I wasn't mystified by the flat. I simply walked to the big couch and slumped in it with a sigh.

I had nothing to do and I had no one as company. I was feeling lonely and I had no one to comfort me. I wasn't about to cry but I wasn't in the mood to laugh as well. I decided to stand up and walk to the window. I leaned in the sill and looked at the view outside. The window was overlooking the city. It was beautiful. One look at it and you can feel the happiness that radiated from the world outside. And it just made me more lonely. As stare out the window with my arms crossed, my phone rang. (A/N: Yes, she has a phone)

I took it out of my back pocket and stared at the flashing name in the screen "Ced 'The Cool' Diggz". It read. A smile formed in my lips as I saw the name in the LCD of my phone. So that's why he borrowed my phone. I pressed the 'answer call' button and I heard his jolly voice from the other line.

"Hey, Cho! What took you so long to answer?" He whined. He was always childish – that would never change. And that's what I like about my friend.

"Always impatient, I see." I taunted. And I was sure it was only a matter of time before he cave in and retort.

"I was not! You were just too slow just like always." And I was right. he was laughing from the other line and somehow, hearing his care-free laugh and talking to him made my mood ease up bit by bit. That's when I got an idea.

"Ced, do you have anything to do today?" I asked. I really hope he doesn't. I'm tired of always being left around and I won't settle for another leave today.

"Well, that's kinda why I called you. I was thinking…maybe we could go to the carnival today? I have free tickets and it's such a waste if I won't use it and it's not gonna be fun to go alone. Do you want to go? I promise this carnival's great. You won't have a bad time. You have my word. It's brilliant!" I laughed at him. A carnival? Seriously? And this was the other Triwizard Champion? Oh, boy!

"Well, having your word is not much of a guarantee. See, you enjoy everything even if it was lame. I bet if a human banana danced in front of you, you would think it was the greatest thing that ever happened in the world." I teased him. But of course I was planning to go. I would surely have a good time if I go with him.

"Hey! That is not true! Err, well, if it's a big banana…then I might say yes. How many bananas do you see in the streets dancing the Macarena?" He answered.

"Sure. Whatever you say Diggz man! I'll go. As long as you make sure you'll pay for everything."

"Sure thing! Where will I fetch you?" He asked enthusiastically.

"I'll just go to your flat. Be sure you're ready by then." After that, I pressed the 'end call' button and the line went dead. I went to the door and as expected the door locked itself after I got out. I prepared to disapparate – thinking that my day was probably going to resemble a trip down memory lane. A trip down the 'ol happy times with Ced 'The Cool' Diggz and it was something that I looked forward to…

* * *

Harry's POV:

Brenn and I disapparated once we were out their door and Cho had already closed it from the inside. I found myself being squeezed into darkness with a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. After another nanosecond, I felt my feet land in a doorstep – a big, oak door in front of me.

Brenn lifted his hand to the knocker and began banging. Carter emerged from the door a minute later with a glare directed at Brenn. He stepped aside and gestured for us to come in.

"Why are you banging on my door? A simple knock would have been okay, dude!" Carter complained and then he smacked Brenn on the side of the head.

"Ow! Sorry, all right?" whined Brenn while stroking his head where Carter had hit him.

Once we were inside, I saw our other companions seated in the living room. I loved how they were all so committed to this mission that even if I flooed them just this morning to go meet up with us at Carter's, every single one of them still made it. Why Carter's? I don't know too. It was Brenn's idea. I smiled at my friends and they beamed back at me. I made my way to them, Brenn behind me. I sat at one of the empty stools.

"So Harry… Why Carter's? And why is this so sudden?" Andrew asked and the others were also waiting for my answer.

"Well. Err, remember what we found out last night? You see… it's about that. I think we have to train." I said.

"That's what we were thinking to. But why here?" Phillip inquired. With this, I had to turn to Brenn. After all, it was his idea that we use Carter's place. When I turned to Brenn, he just jerked his head at Carter. I turned my face to Carter and I saw him beaming.

"Follow me, folks." He said as he flicked his hand upward – gesturing us to get up and follow him. We all stood up and walked behind Carter. I looked sideways at Brenn and he just shrugged with a smile.

We trudged to the corner of the room where another door was standing. Carter wrenched it open and vanished behind it. We all followed him. Behind the door was an immense staircase – kinda like Hogwarts' staircase…only smaller and it only leads downward.

"Let me guess, this house is supposed to be a bungalow but it has several basements and subbasements?" I asked Brenn who was beside me.

"Bingo!" He said and wagged his eyebrows up and down. We went down a series of flights and we stopped at the lowest floor. When I looked up, I could tell we went down four floors. When I looked at my front again, I saw Carter standing outside another door. He opened it and gestured for all of us to come in first and we did.

I had only one thought when I entered the room or err, stadium? And it was "WHOAAAAAAA…"

"This is the battle ground. Actually… I just bought this whole house weeks ago and this room was the reason why I did. This is my favorite room. It's perfect for an Auror and for training purposes as well. Don't you think it's just sooo… AWESOME?" Carter boasted. Nobody answered him because every single one of us was looking around the room in complete awe. Now, I know you think: we're nuts and overreacting. Well, we're not. Have you seen what a battle stadium in ancient Greece looks like? Now, add an armory in the right wing but instead of battle swords, different kinds of wands were hanging in the wall. Now, multiply the size twice and there… you pretty much get what we're seeing.

"Wow, this is perfect. Now stop ogling guys and let's start." I said but even I was still staring around…

* * *

Author's POV:

So Harry and the gang started their first training session. Actually, if you ask me, their plan to train was perfect. But if one of them thought of going up on the first floor (They're underground) and looked out the window, he would've seen a man wearing a hooded robe with an oh-so-familiar-skull-and-snake tattoo on one arm hiding behind the bush and, possibly, spying on them.

* * *

Characters' Blabbing:

**Cho: **What's up next? What will I do next chapter?

**Hooded guy with an oh-so-familiar-skull-and-snake tattoo on one arm:** Who am I? What am I doing behind the bush? What'll I do?

**Cedric:** A dancing human banana is cool, right?

**Harry:** No it's not! Although, if it's dancing the Macarena, then…it is AWESOME!

**Brenn:** I'm hungry!

**Carter:** I'm cool!

**Hermione:** I'm still not in here!

**Me:** *Starts running* I told you it's gonna be on the next chapter! Stop throwing that! It hu-! OW!

**Draco:** Hey! Review and tell that girl who's running over there to include me in her story. PLEAAAAASEEEE! *Ducks to avoid being hit in the nose by a flying sneakoscope* I hate it when she does that!

**Me:** *Dodges a sneakoscope* PLEASE REVIEW! )


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer:

Draco: Hey! I'm back! But I'm still not in this chapter. Come on, please tell MYSTERY to include me. She has a poll in her profile. Vote!

Me: Malfoy, the disclaimer!

Draco: Oh, right, yeah… Soooo. Errrr. Uhhhhhhhm. Wellll.

Me: Get on with it already!

Draco: No copyright infringement is intended. MYSTERY does not own the characters of the Harry Potter Series. JK Rowling owns them. No profit is made with this fiction. Don't sue MYSTERY. *finishes reading the script* is that good enough?

Me: Perfect! Thanks Malfie!

Draco: Whatever! Don't forget what I said, eh? Review and tell her about me! BYE! Hey! What did you just call me?

Harry's POV:

I cleared my throat loudly. Partly, to get their attention and partly to calm myself. Merlin! I'm going to train a group of official Aurors and I'm not even a licensed Auror myself. I cleared my throat again for like the thirtieth time and tried to look determined. I was standing in front of my team. There were seven licensed Aurors in front of me. They were all sitting in the benches that were erupted in front of the armory wall. And since I'm facing them, the wall with the training wands was just behind me.

"Okay." I started. "So now that the place is settled, I think we should start. I think some of you may have known each other for a long time. Because some of you either went through the Auror course together or have worked together. Am I right?" I asked. Few nodded and the others just stared at me.

"But I think it's just appropriate to start our training by, err, seeing what each other can do. Do you guys agree with me?" They all nodded. "So… partner up by twos, guys. We'll duel." I clapped my hands three times and they all stood up and murmured with each other to find a suitable duel partner. It was then that someone called my name.

"Hey, Harry! Care to be partners?" Timothy asked me. Now that I think about it, there were eight of us and I surely have to have a partner. Well, actually I didn't really expect to be left out in this whole dueling thing because it was my idea but I still haven't thought about who I'd prefer to duel. Maybe because I still didn't know any of them that much let alone their dueling skills. So I just thought… What's the point in choosing?

Timothy was the oldest amongst us, according to my observations. He's the most mature one and the most responsible. If you look at the other Aurors, you can surely tell that they were at least just two or three years older than me but if you look at Timothy, you'd say he's five years older.

While I was considering his offer, Timothy was looking expectantly at me with his eyes filled with determination and curiosity. Curiosity about what? Merlin, I didn't know. All the other faces of our companions were trained on the both of us and with my peripheral vision and highly trained ears, I can say that Marvin and Andrew gulped loudly and William and Phillip looked scared. They looked at me with concern as I answered "Sure, Tim."

He smiled at me and I turned my attention once again towards all of my companions. The Brits surveyed me with worry while the two Americans just looked unknowing. Six of them were already seated according to their partners while Tim sat alone in the back bench.

"Okay, guys. Let's start. William, Phillip, you guys go first." I instructed and the two of them stood up from their seats.

"Guys, I think it's a good idea to use one those wands." Carter said. He pointed to the wands hanging in the armory wall. "We can't afford to get our wands destroyed during this training. Those wands were made for this reason. Don't worry once you choose a wand, it will scan your wand hand and duplicate the abilities of your original wands. So it's technically the same and if ever these wands get destroyed, it's not much of a big deal, right?" Carter suggested. Phil and Will agreed and went to the wall behind me.

The armory wall was covered with twenty wands. There were 5 columns and four rows. The wands were made of metal but colored gold. Each one had a gem just above the handle. The first row had emeralds; the second row had topazes; the third row had sapphires and the fourth and lowest row had rubies. After both summoning a topaz-decorated wand and pocketing their original wands, Phil and Will went to the center of the arena and stood feet away from each other.

"This is just a friendly duel guys, remember that! I don't want anybody getting hurt badly. You know the rules of dueling! Start!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. The room was so enormous; I had doubts that they heard me. But apparently, they did. They bowed, eyed each other carefully and started circling their areas. I decided it's time to sit down.

I sat at the front bench just to the left of Brenn and Carter. Andrew and Marvin were sitting on the bench in our left side. I turned my head to the two on the arena and the duel commenced.

Since they were dueling on the center of the arena and we're seated in the right wing, we can't hear their incantations. But we can clearly see what was happening. Phillip was the first one to throw a curse. Red lights erupted from the tip of his wand once he flicked it in a circular motion. The lights crossed the distance between them with great speed and darted towards William. He dodged sideways just as it was about to hit him and he fired at Phillip. Two bullet-like sparks shot from his wand and danced with blinding speed towards Phil. It might've hit him square in the chest if he wasn't fast enough to conjure a shield charm.

The duel continued that way for a few minutes and curses and spells were exchanged. Brenn and Carter were getting bored while Marv and Drew were watching the duel with all eyes as if they were waiting for something to happen.

After a few more minutes, something indeed happened that got me gaping in awe. Phil glared at Will and he did a complicated wand movement that I haven't seen before. He murmured something and suddenly, vines sprouted out of the ground beside Will's feet and tangled themselves around his whole body. Beside me, Brenn murmured "Whoa!" and Carter shouted "Hey! Cut those later!" Drew and Marv looked at each other and said "It's starting" in unison. I was still staring at the dueling partners in the arena when I heard Tim snorted and said "It's time!"

Will twitched and tried to get away from the annoying vines. When nothing happened, Phil smiled triumphantly. I thought it was the end. It was a boring fight. But just then, Will smiled and flicked his wand slightly and another Will appeared in front of Phil and shot a blue curse towards the opponent. It hit him in the chest and he went down. He looked hurt but not much. He stood up again and yelled "Don't do that! It's not fair! Clones aren't allowed!" He fired a curse to the clone Will and they were immersed in a fight. Lights sparked here and there while the real Will escaped the vines. Now, two Wills were fighting a single Phil.

Then, the fight just got more and more complicated. Phil did another weird wand movement. Water shot out from his wand. He waved his hand in a circular motion and a Will got caught in an enormous orb of water. But with a pop, five more Wills emerged. Now, we were all confused. Who the bloody hell is the real Will? Phil stomped his feet and a chunk of the earth separated from the ground. Phil punched it and it hit another Will. He did it again and another chunk of earth hit another Will. With every Will going down, three Wills reappeared and started laughing at Phil. It was evident in Phil's face that he was getting annoyed with these clones.

Phil was flicking his wand repeatedly while the Wills were either firing or trying to get away from annoying vines or orbs of water. Chunks of earth were flying everywhere and one almost flew to our direction. Will number 1 was immersed in a fight with Phil. Will number two was caught by another tangle of vines. Will number three and four were both swimming in a blue orb. Will number five was caught in huge tornado. Will number six and seven were flicking their wands angrily while the wind carried them several feet from the ground. They were being tackled aggressively by the arrogant wind and they swerved from left to right.

Back to Phil, he was dodging curses from a Will and firing his own spells. His clothes were tattered already and there were singed spots. The Will he's dueling was in no better condition.

"How did Will do that? Who is the real one, anyway?" Brenn asked me without peeling his eyes away from the fight. A Will who was being tackled in the air a while ago, slammed to the ground with a force that shook the whole arena – probably thrown by the wind – and he vanished with a pop.

"How should I know? This is the first time I've seen a cloning spell." I answered. I was also staring intently to the fight. It had gotten so interesting that we were all staring with immense concentration.

"It should be the first time. Will invented that." Tim answered beside me. I hadn't noticed him sit to the right of Marvin. I guess I was too absorbed with the duel.

"He did? Whoa, that's awesome!" Carter praised. Tim smiled at him and turned to Marvin.

"How long has it been?" Tim asked. "How long have they been dueling?" Marvin held out one finger and then cupped it in a circular shape. He was too busy watching to even say a word.

"Ten minutes, huh? It's almost time." Tim said. I have no idea what he said so I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Tim said. "It won't be long now."

Just then, the two Wills swimming in the orb vanished with a pop and so the water collapsed. Phil and Will – probably the real one – were still firing spells at each other but the frequency of their casting had slowed by now. They were already breathing heavily. Phil sent an orange spark towards Will but he dodged it. Instead of firing back, Will backed away a few steps and inhaled. He flicked his wand three times and thirty Wills appeared in front of him – shielding him from Phil.

Phil exhaled loudly and walked towards his multiple opponents. After doing another weird wand movement, he clapped both his hands and then with one huge shove of his hands towards the Will army, fire shot out of his palm and burned all of them. He didn't waste time and sprinted to the real Will. Will must have expected it because when Phil halted in front of him with his wand under Will's chin, Will swerved his wand too and it ended poking Phil's Adam's apple. They stayed in that position and then after five seconds, they both fell down and sat at the ground – both breathing heavily.

A/N: Hey! I wasn't planning on writing about their training but a reader told me that he/she's looking forward to the training so I thought… Why not? This can also be a good chance to share how awesome these Aurors are. After all, they weren't chosen for nothing, right? And this way, you won't be confused about what they can do on the big assault. I just hope you guys will like this chapter. The other duels will be posted in the next chapters. PLEASE REVIEW!

Pawsrule: Hermione is still not in here. Sorry about that. I promise I'll write about her after the training.

Pixies114: There. I wrote it. I hope you like it. Please review. The other ones will be posted next time. REVIEW!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer:

Draco: Wow! Mystery's not here. But she gave this to me. Look, look! It's ahhhh…. Errr…. What is this?

Hermione: It's the chapter. Wait, Malfoy why is she not here? And why am I not in the last chapter?

Draco: How should I know? Wait, Granger? What do I do with this?

Hermione: You post it, of course. Wait, am I in there? *grabs the papers from Malfoy*

Draco: Hey! What are you doing, Granger? You! Give that back!

Hermione: Calm down ferret. I'll just take a look. Hmmmm… Where in Merlin's floating house is Mystery? I'm not in here! *Stomps off to find Mystery*

Draco: I think you people know now why Mystery's not here. So… On with the disclaimer. Mystery doesn't own HP. She can't be sued. Read on, guys! Oh, and vote in Mystery's poll on her profile please.

Me: *pops head out from behind the curtain* Is she gone yet?

Draco: Oh, hey! You're there. I was just about to-

Hermione: Mystery! Come out here!

Me: Oh, crap! Bye! You're currently in charge Malfie. REVIEW!

Draco: I told you never to call me Malfie! Grrr!

* * *

Harry's POV:

As soon as we saw them fall to the ground, Tim and I immediately raced to the center of the arena to help them. I draped Will's arm around my shoulder to give him support while Tim did the same with Phillip. We both settled them down the benches behind Brenn and Carter.

"Are you two all right?" Tim asked both of them as the two of us sat at the bench behind Marvin and Drew.

"I'm fine." Will said as he stroked his head where a lump was forming.

"It's just so tiring." Phil stated. He was rubbing his palm where the flame shot out just minutes ago. It was red but not really burnt. They were both wounded. From scratches to lumps in their foreheads, tattered and burnt clothes, bruises in their bodies, blood at the corner of their mouths and some rope-like marks around Will's wrists and legs.

"How did you guys do that?" I asked. Yes, I know they trained for it. That much is obvious but I can't help but ask.

"I graduated from the Auror course three years ago." Phil explained "Back then I can already control the elements, but not much. After getting my license, I focused my attention on learning different spells that can help a wizard control them. I spent a couple of years researching and perfecting them in between my missions. Actually, I just finished training those moves months ago. Now, I can use multiple elements at a time. But that really drains me."

"In my case, I can do that ever since I started training. I remember Tim being amazed at what I can do. But it's not that big. Back then, I can only produce five clones. And now, my limit is twenty. Whenever I try thirty, I collapse. Lucky I didn't pass out." Will finished with a smile as if he was telling a joke. Nobody found it funny.

"Uhhh. Tim? You already know him back then?" I asked Tim. He was looking at the two with concern as if they were his little brothers.

"Yeah. I trained these two. When I first saw them years ago, I immediately saw potential. I already knew they were going to be great Aurors and I wasn't wrong. They didn't let me down. Along with these two." Tim said and then he pointed at Drew and Marv.

"We have worked together in a mission before. The five of us." Marvin explained. "It was a long-span mission too, so we have to prepare beforehand. Just like now."

"That's how we saw what the both of them can do, and also Tim." Drew finished.

"Because of that mission, these four along with me were awarded Auror honors and were named as some of the greatest young Aurors of the generation." Tim said proudly. If I was him, I would also be proud. It's not an everyday thing when the Aurors you trained become one the greatest young Aurors of the generation.

"So that explains it. You were also there in the ball exclusively held for the Top Young Aurors of the Wizarding World, weren't you?" Brenn asked.

"We were there too." Carter said. "We're also part of that. We're the only ones from America who got in. I was right! I've really seen you before. I told you Brenn!" Carter shouted as he turned to Brenn and yanked his shirt sleeve.

"Yeah. All right, let go!" Brenn exclaimed as he pulled his sleeve free of Carter's grip.

"So… You guys are saying… I'm leading a team composed of seven of the greatest young Aurors of the world?" I asked with wide eyes. Seriously, what's Shacklebolt thinking? Merlin! Sending me here to lead these guys? I'm not even an Auror!

"Yeah. So what, Harry? You're here leading a group of young great Aurors. That's normal. You're the great Harry Potter, have you forgotten? You defeated Voldemort, remember?" Drew said.

"But still, I'm not even an Auror, guys!" I said exasperatedly. They just looked at me like I was nuts.

"Err, what's your point?" Carter asked.

I sighed loudly. These guys are hard! How can they trust me? I'm just a boy – a minor, to be exact. I haven't even turned 18.

"You're not just some bloke out there, Harry." Phil reasoned while he was stroking his bruised shoulder. "You defeated the Dark Lord. Believe it or not, you deserve our titles more than we will ever deserve them – even if you're not an Auror."

I sighed. This just makes me even more anxious. What if I fail them? What if we don't succeed because I can't lead them well enough? What if someone d-d-d… I shook my head to dismiss the thought. I can't think that. We have to do this. I inhaled to calm myself and turned to them.

"Who's next?" I asked.

"We'll be next." Brenn declared as he stood up. Carter followed suit.

"Heh, I'll beat you this time, Brenn." Carter warned. "Mark my words."

"I'd like to see you try." Brenn answered with a smirk.

They were exchanging knowing looks as if they've done this a million times already and I got the idea that these two were constant duel partners. They went to the armory wall and summoned two wands with sapphires. They pocketed their original wands and made their way to the center of the arena.

Now, after the tremendous fight between Phil and Will, the arena had been destroyed. With vines that sprouted here and there, chunks of earth that were dismantled from the ground, water that doused and fire that burned it, what did you expect?

Before proceeding to the fight, they walked to the parts of the arena that were very much destroyed, pointed their wands to each of the wreckage and it was magically fixed. After the fixing jobs, they went to the center once more, stood feet from each other and got their wands at the ready.

"Errr, guys! I have a feeling that you've done this many times! And I would like to remind you, don't take this personally. Friendly duel alright?" I shouted loudly for them to hear. "No hurting each other badly!"

They turned their heads to me and they smiled sweetly. I had only one thought at that moment before they attacked each other. It was: _Uh-oh!_

Carter waved his wand and a trail of red light sprinted to Brenn's direction. Brenn dodged it gracefully. He bent backwards matrix style and the spell flew past him harmlessly. When he straightened once more, he wriggled his eyebrows to Carter and grinned maliciously.

Carter snorted and did another wave to the right. Brenn, expecting the hit, jumped to the left to avoid being struck. But it was a fake attack. As Brenn jumped to the left, Carter's wrist flicked to the left and fired a spell directly at the other's chest. It hit him with a spark and he fell to the ground.

We all gasped at what we saw. As we watched and stared intently at Brenn, he sat bolt upright and shook his head – sending his loose hair flailing. Around me, I heard my companions release the breaths they didn't even realize they were holding.

Brenn said something to Carter that was unintelligible because of the distance between us but he said it with a smirk and Carter snorted once again. He's doing that a lot. Brenn stood up slowly and tapped the dusts away from his shirt. He straightened up and so as Carter.

After that, the arena pretty much turned into chaos. From the looks of it, you'd think you're seeing fireworks but not really. They were flicking and waving their wands in every direction so fast I didn't know how they manage to see the curses coming, much less dodge it. But hey, to a wizard, dueling is a complete adrenaline rush. You do things you didn't even know you can do.

After seeing a show of fireworks, the dueling turned to a minimum. You can see that the rush is wearing off. And at last they stood away from each other once more. We thought it was over but boy, we're wrong.

Brenn stared intently at Carter and was mumbling under his breath. His gaze was so intent; you'd think he was trying to dissolve Carter with his stares. And then, Carter's eyes went black and his face distorted in fright. He dropped to the floor in kneeling position and his jaw dropped slack.

"What the bloody hell is happening?" Drew asked incredulously. Marvin's eyes were unbelievably wide.

"Don't worry, guys." Tim offered. He was looking at Carter with mixed curiosity and interest. Why the bloody hell does he look like he's interested in this?

"What do you mean?" Marvin asked "He's in pain, Tim!"

"He's perfectly well. There's no harm done." Tim said. "Trust me."

So we just sat there and watched as Carter's face changed from fear to pain and to fear once more. After a few seconds, Carter's eyes went to focus again and he panted and breathed heavily. Meanwhile, Brenn was also drawing deep breaths and he was sweating beads.

Carter stared at Brenn. His eyes still had the shadow of tremendous terror in them. Then, he stood up and clapped his hands in the sides of his head to shake off the feeling of dread. He straightened up while Brenn still panted.

Carter charged at Brenn with great speed and fired a red spell but the curse was inches away from Brenn when a shield erupted from the end of Brenn's wand and wrapped around his form. The spell just bounced back.

By the looks of it, you'd say that Carter's losing the duel. That was what we all thought but he was still smiling as he sprinted towards Brenn's direction. Now, having wands and all, you don't really have to be close to the one your firing a spell at so I don't really know what sprinting toward Brenn would give Carter. But he was midway from Brenn when he suddenly… vanished.

The place where Carter was only a millisecond ago was now an empty space. Brenn still looked straight ahead and his forehead was crunched in concentration as if he was determining where Carter was.

Brenn turned around the moment Carter appeared behind him. But he was still not fast enough. By the time he focused his eyes on his opponent, Carter had already fired a spell to him. So it him directly in his chest.

Once again, Brenn dropped to the ground and Carter was towering over him. As he gained his composure, he stood up and Carter stepped back to put distance between him and the now standing Brenn.

Brenn mumbled again and gave Carter another hard stare. Carter's eyes lost focus but he shook his head immediately as if he was shaking a thought out of his mind and he sprinted in a different direction again. After three strides, he disappeared again and materialized behind Brenn. He smacked Brenn's back with his elbow and sprinted to another direction as Brenn sputtered blood. His image shimmered and he disappeared and appeared in and out of thin air so fast, we failed to see where he appeared before he disappeared again. He coupled every appearance with a spell.

Because of his enemy's constant and annoying disappearance, Brenn doesn't know where to look anymore – making him defenseless against Carter's attacks. He ducked to avoid being hit by five multicolored spells. He rolled to the left once he had the chance. He rolled away from where all the spells were hurled. But he failed to see the blue one and as he sat up from his rolling position, he was hit in the throat.

Carter finally stopped appearing everywhere and he materialized in front of Brenn. He pointed his wand at Brenn's forehead and smiled.

Brenn was not able to speak. He just lifted his two arms in defeat while shaking his head. Carter reached out and helped him to his feet and they walked back to us.

"Told you I'd beat you." Carter boasted with a smirk. "Come on, speak up!" He tapped Brenn's back and Brenn glared at him.

"I know it's a voice charm." Brenn chirped. His voice was so small; we thought we were hearing elves. We all laughed at him.

"Okay, what just happened?" Marvin asked as Tim tapped Brenn's throat and it glowed green.

"His spells weren't strong. They were just annoying little spells. The last one he used was a voice charm." Brenn answered, clearly annoyed.

"Understood." I said. "But what were you doing a while ago, Carter? Were you apparating?"

"Nah. If I was, you would've heard pops. I was turning invisible. But I can't cast a spell while I was invisible so I have to show up first." Carter explained. "I was just running around him the whole time. But the invisibility did the trick. It looked like there were multiple Carters too, eh?"

"That explains the shimmering." I said. "But Brenn, what did you do to Carter when he kneeled to the ground?"

When Brenn spoke, his voice was already back to normal. "I showed him his fear."

"Uhhhh. What?" I murmured curiously.

"That's what he does. He racks a person's mind and shows him his fears." Carter answered me. He sat beside me. "If you don't know how to break the spell, pretty much, you'll cower in fear and you'll have a trauma."

"How did you break it?" Brenn asked. "You can't do that before. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. You were just too exhausted to do it." Carter said. "You threw so many spells first before you did it. Back then, you do it before casting a great amount of spells."

Brenn nodded his head. "Yeah. I just tried it. It didn't work out well, did it?" Brenn asked us. "I guess I have to stick to the old ways."

"Not if we can help it. You have to get used to it." I reasoned. "That'll be your advantage when time comes. Now who's next?"

"Come on, Marvin! Let's just get this over with." Andrew said. He stood up and summoned two wands with emeralds from the wall. He tossed one to Marv and walked towards the arena. Marv followed instantly.

"In a hurry much?" I heard Carter call out.

"Not really. We don't care about time. We have lots." Marvin said as he continued to walk to the arena.

"How come?" I asked.

"Watch and find out." Marvin answered and then he sprinted to the arena and poised to duel.

* * *

AN: It took me a long time to update. I had my midterm exams so I was kinda busy. But I'll update more often these coming days. I hope you didn't get impatient. Next chapter will be Marv and Drew's (Andrew) fight. Then Harry and Tim's and then we're back to Hermione. ) REVIEW please!


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer:

Malfoy: Hey! I'm still in charge so, yeah! I'm gonna post the next chapter so here goes nothin'! Mystery does not own anything. TSH! How many times do I have to repeat this irritating disclaimer? Grr! Whatever. Mystery asked me to practically beg to you people to give her some reviews. No way! I'm not gonna beg. Just give her reviews but I won't beg for it, although she would. I hope you enjoy this chapter, though! Read on!

* * *

Chapter 19

Marv and Drew immediately went to the center of the arena and stood at the opposite ends of it. They want to end their duel so bad that instead of staring at each other for a few minutes before starting to attack like what the others did, they instantly immersed themselves in the duel.

Drew was the first one to attack and since both he and Marvin already said that they want to end it, Drew's attack was straight to the point of showing us what he could do. He twirled his wand in his hands and tapped his two feet with it. Then, he sprinted towards Marvin with blinding speed.

By the way, when I said BLINDING, I'm not using it as an exaggeration. I'm just stating the obvious.

Back to the duel, Drew sprinted with blinding speed towards Marvin. He was so fast that he was just a blur of color in our sight and the wind that was caused by his speed, whipped our hairs.

While Drew was sprinting towards Marvin, Marvin tapped his silver bracelet with his wand and its gem gleamed a bright color of blue before a glistening blue circle showed up at the ground around him. The circle was 6 feet in diameter.

Before Drew can make it in front of Marvin, he changed course and turned to the right but still fired a group of spells towards Marvin. He flicked his wand so fast that we didn't even see it move. But we knew that he fired a group of spells because at the moment that the spell passed the invisible border of Marvin's circle, the spells slowed down so Marvin dodged all of them gracefully.

"What's happening?" I asked Timothy who was now sitting beside me. Brenn and Carter were at our right.

"They're complete opposites of each other in terms of their magical abilities." Tim explained. "Hmmm. Let's just say that Drew is a speed master while Marvin is a time controller."

"So that's what they meant when they said that they've got a lot of time?" I asked again. "Marvin can control time so he doesn't really care about it and Drew can do things with impossible speed."

"Yeah. Pretty much. But there are flaws, you see." Tim continued. "Look at Marvin's circle, not too big, eh? When a great number of spells are fired, he can still be hit because the distance from the boundary of the circle to him is not too long. And in Drew's case, He can still go faster than that. So fast that I doubt you would still see anything. But it drains him. He used it one time and he passed out for almost a week."

"Whoa!" Carter managed to croak as Drew whipped past us and sent our hairs flailing around. He was running around the arena. He was firing multiple spells toward Marvin every time he comes near him.

Marvin was bending his body forward, backwards and to the sides as he avoided the oncoming spells. All he could do was dodge and avoid being hit. He can't even throw a single spell towards his blurred opponent while Drew had all the opportunities to fire attacks towards Marvin.

When Marvin straightened back up after bending backwards matrix style to avoid another attack, He flicked his wand and pointed it towards the moving blur. A bright blue spark flew out of the end of his wand and darted towards his opponent. It missed Drew by about a meter.

Drew stopped running around for a moment to stick his tongue out at Marvin and then continued to race around the arena once more.

Marvin fired another one and it missed again by about another meter. He did it again for the third time and as expected, it missed again.

Drew's barking laugh can be heard from four different directions of the arena due to his speed. From the time they started dueling, his speed never faltered and never slowed even a bit. And so I asked myself…_Does this guy ever get tired?_

Another family of spells was fired at Marvin at the moment the blur went past us. Marvin dodged three of them when he leaned to the right but one of 'em nearly brushed his right cheek. He straightened up once again and looked around to find the moving blur. Instead of pointing his wand at the Drew's blurred image, he pointed it to the right. If you look at it closely, the direction he was pointing his wand at was completely empty. He fired a yellow curse. Marvin intended to fire the spell a meter in front of Drew and so as Drew passed in front of him, he was hit squarely in the chest.

Drew was knocked out of his feet by the red curse and he was sent a few meters away from the place he was hit by it. It was probably Flipendo. He landed on his butt. He shook his head to chase away the dizziness. He stood up and ran around the arena again as if nothing happened.

A smug smile graced Marvin's lips as the blur went into motion again. He had cracked Drew's pattern. But a bright green spark was sent darting to his direction afterwards. When the green spark passed the boundary around him, it broke into five spells and was sent into five different directions. One hit Marvin in the ear, another hit him in the neck, one more hit him in the left arm. He bent down to avoid the fourth one and it flew safely past his bent head. But before he can even see the fifth one coming, it hit him in his left cheek just below his eye.

At first, it looked like the spells had no effect but as the last one was absorbed by Marv's cheek, several cuts appeared at the places where the others had hit him. Blood flowed down from his cheek, arm, neck and ear. He winced in pain but ignored it nonetheless. He surveyed the arena and looked for the moving blur.

Drew went passed Marvin and ran directly to Marvin's right.

Marvin's head snapped to the right but he trained his wand to the left. He fired an orange spell towards his left side and right on cue, it hit Drew just as he was passing there. Bruises appeared around Drew's body and based on his facial reaction, it must be quite painful.

Marvin took advantage of Drew's pain and fired another spell. But before it even hit him, Drew was already back on his feet and the spell hit nothing.

Drew's first five strides were slower than his original speed as if he's adjusting and after five strides, he went back to his former blinding speed. But I caught sight of him before he ran faster again. He was clutching his right arm.

Marvin might have seen it too and he took it as an opportunity. He pointed again in front of Drew. But Drew's not planning to fall for it again. When Drew saw Marvin's hand, he stopped abruptly, ducked a bit and leaned forward.

The next thing I felt was a rush of air going past me but all I saw was a faint silhouette of a person darting towards Marvin.

Marvin's spell missed by several meters. It hit the opposite direction of where Drew stopped again. Marvin faced him but he started running again.

Drew ran so fast that he almost turned invisible. He fired more spells than all of his former spells combined and due to the speed of his attacks, Marvin wasn't able to dodge half of all the spells. It hit him on different parts of his body and several more cuts appeared. He even started sputtering blood.

"Tim, will he be okay?" I asked Timothy. "Do you think we should interfere already?"

"No. They've been through worse." Tim answered. "This kind of dueling strengthens them more. Let them be. They're not in so much danger." He answered again. But as he said it, he still wasn't able to hide the shadow of worry in his eyes for his two long-time companions.

Drew stopped running once more and started panting. He was clutching his wand arm as I suspected and I saw that it looked dislocated. He started to walk towards Marvin but Marvin fired a spell towards him. He barely dodged it. Drew started to run again with the same speed.

Marvin's hair flailed as Drew went past him. He closed his eyes and cupped his bracelet with his left hand. His hand glowed bright blue and then he pointed his right wand hand upward and blue shimmering sparks flew out of it.

Just then, a blue circle mirroring Marvin's drew itself on the ground around Drew's running image. He immediately slowed down to normal speed.

"What's that?" Brenn asked Tim.

"He channeled his magic to Drew. Drew's slowed down by Marv's magic." Tim answered.

Curses were thrown towards Drew's direction and he ran in normal speed to avoid them. But the crunches on his forehead suggested that it was not normal speed for him at all. He barely lifted his wand hand when suddenly, a white light hit him and without a sound, he dangled upside down in midair.

Marvin limped to where Drew was dangling and when he was already standing underneath him, he pointed his wand at Drew's feet and he fell into Marvin's wounded arms.

We ran immediately to help them out.

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AN: There it is. Hope you like it. Next chapter will be Harry's and Tim's duel. Please send me some reviews.

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Character's Thoughts:

Draco: I thought I was in charge? Since when did that author get back? GRR! When will I enter this story? Will I be good or bad? Make a guess, guys.

Cedric: Will I accept the offer of teaching at Hogwarts? What's up next for me and Cho?

Cho: What am I gonna do next? Will I piss the readers off? But then again, I always do that. That's my job.

Hermione: When will I enter the story again? What will happen to me in the future? Is Cho up to something? *gasp*

Harry: What will happen between me and Tim? What's his strength? Will I win the duel? Wait for the next chapter to find out. Read and Review please.


	20. The Illusion

Disclaimer:

Me: Malfoy, where are you? You're supposed to be in charge of the disclaimer! *sees Malfoy sitting on his couch and watching something on his laptop* Hey Malfie, what are you watching and why do you look constipated?

Malfoy: Who made this musical? I'm gonna kill him?

Me: Oh, you mean A Very Potter Musical? That's awesome, huh? It's genius! Come on, admit it!

Malfoy: *still seething with anger* NO! I hate this! Whose idea is this? I'm gonna kill them! No wonder people are laughing at me behind my back! Besides the fact that a girl portrayed me, they also made me look like an idiot and said I STILL WEAR DIAPERS!

Me: Well, don't you? *looks at Malfoy with confusion*

Malfoy: UGH! I HATE YOU!

Me: If I own Harry Potter, I would totally make you like that, Malfoy. Lauren portrayed you even better than how you portrayed yourself. Lauren's a better Malfoy than you. HAHAHA!

Malfoy: Well, you don't own Harry Potter and what's that supposed to mean? I'm Malfoy, I'm the real me!  
Me: Whatever! Well, you already took care of the disclaimer so bye! Read and Review, people and I also encourage you to watch A VERY POTTER MUSICAL AND A VERY POTTER SEQUEL! :D

Malfoy: Ugh! I don't roll over like that. Err... Do I?

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Chapter 20:

We immediately raced to the center of the arena to help Marvin and Drew. Out of all the duelers, the two of them received the most injuries and therefore deserved the most medical attention. We carried them carefully to the benches and started treating their wounds. As soon as we were sure that they were both all right and that their wounds were starting to heal and fade, Tim and I decided to start our duel

I was the one who walked to the armory wall and took two ruby-encrusted wands. I took one and threw the other to Tim. I pocketed my own wand. After that, we decided to make our way to the arena. As I was walking towards it, I passed by the benches and Marvin looked at me straight in the eyes and managed to croak "Keep your thoughts to yourself, Harry". And because I had no idea what he meant, I just nodded and smiled as I walked past him and continue my way to the arena where Timothy was already standing.

I took my place opposite Tim and got my wand at the ready immediately. My dueling wand turned warm in my hand and it shook a bit. It must be how the wand detects the abilities of my original wand so that it can mimic it. After a few moments, the wand returned to its normal temperature. Tim and I nodded at each other and bowed. After bowing, we both proceeded to our fighting stances.

I attacked him first and fired Expelliarmus to disarm him but he bent gracefully to the left and dodged it. In return, he fired a spell at me and I turned my body to the right and it went harmlessly past me.

It was then that Tim lowered his wand and sighed. "Harry, we're not kids dueling each other for fun anymore. You know what I mean, Harry. You saw what Marvin and Drew did just to prove themselves. Let's not play around anymore. After all, this is for the benefit of training. Show me what you got." Tim said and then brought his wand at the ready once more.

"You're on, Tim!" I said. I bent my knees into a more comfortable stance and prepared to attack. This time, there won't be any hesitations. There will be no fooling around. I flicked my wand to the left and then to the right. A couple of spells escaped the tip of my wand and then darted towards Tim.

Tim flicked his wand and it deflected the two spells I sent. And then he fired two spells and it almost hit me in my face.

I swished my wand and a green energy ball formed in front of me. I swirled my wand around it and it got bigger. It was twice as big as my head in no time and I hurled it towards Tim.

He countered my attack by thrusting his wand forward, creating a glittering gray wall, and he sent it to block my energy ball and it collided with it. My green energy ball absorbed his shield and a huge explosion went off. I was blinded by green light and was thrown off my feet. I landed on my butt quite a number of feet away from my original place and hit my head on the ground. I lied flat on my back after that and I closed my eyes.

The blinding light that seemed to pierce through my closed lids faded slowly and then died down. I chose that moment to open my eyes and sit upright. Big mistake! My head swirled and I felt like my surroundings were spinning. I was forced to close my eyes once more. I clutched my head to chase away the dizziness. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes again and looked around the arena. Tim was nowhere in sight.

I glanced at the benches and I can make out my companions' faces despite the distance. I saw that they were clutching their heads as well and some of them were looking at me while some where looking at the other side of the arena. I didn't know why because I can see nobody standing opposite me.

Just then, Tim suddenly stood up. Apparently, he was thrown outside the arena. And since the arena was one feet high from the ground, Tim was out of my eyes' angle of sight until he stood up. He shook his head and stepped back into the arena.

I stood up slowly and shook my head as well.

"You two are too worked up!" Phil shouted as he ran towards the arena. "If you're gonna go blow things up like that, you're gonna need some things to protect yourselves with. I'll help you." He finished then he flicked his wand then suddenly, tall sausage-shaped boulders erupted from every part of the arena. "There! Now, go ahead. But be sure not to hurt each other too much." Phil made his way back to the benches and sat back once more.

I glanced at Tim and he just shrugged his shoulders. All around us, seven-foot boulders were erupted. The boulders were arranged symmetrically. There were three boulders at my side of the arena and there were three at Tim's side. The boulders were mirroring each other. It provided us hiding places but we're not really obstructed from each other's sights.

I shrugged my shoulders too as a reply and then fired a spell immediately.

Tim bent backwards so that the spell went past him gracefully. He straightened again and smirked at me. He fired a spell too and I hid behind a boulder to avoid it.

As I was hiding, I swished my wand at the boulder in my right in a slicing manner and the top of the boulder broke into smaller pieces. It levitated in front of my face. I took a peek at Tim to determine his position and then I jumped out of my hiding place. I thrust my wand forward and the pieces of rocks flew towards Tim. It hit him in the ribs arm and stomach.

He winced in pain as the last rock grazed his cheek and blood flowed down from it. He wiped it with the back of his sleeves and then focused his attention back at me. He crunched his forehead in concentration and looked straight at my eyes then he pointed his wand at me. I felt like he can see right through me.

I felt a sudden invisible impact hit my head and I felt a bit dizzy. Then, an image ran through my mind. My knees went weak. My legs shook and my heart skipped a beat. Hermione's face flashed through my mind. I felt dizzy and I lost my focus. The next thing I knew…my arm felt as if it was burning. I stared at it just in time to see blood soaking my sleeves. I clutched it immediately and shook my head. _What the bloody hell happened?_ I didn't even see Tim attack me.

I looked at Tim – my face was a mirror of surprise and terror while his was completely serious. I still felt dizzy from what happened and I can't keep my focus. I felt thick liquid trickling down my arm and my hand. I stared at the floor and I saw my own blood dripping from the end of my wand. I didn't know what was happening to me. I was seeing my own blood and my arm was hurting like hell but the only thing I can think about was Hermione's smiling face.

"Harry! Snap out of it!" I heard William shout. I glanced at him and I saw pure worry in his eyes. The others were looking at me with concern.

I closed my eyes hard and shook my head to regain my focus. Once I opened my eyes, I sprinted towards Tim and waved my wand despite the burning pain in my arm. I fired stupefy at him but he dodged it carefully. I continued sprinting but before I can wave my wand again, images of my parents, Sirius, Dumbledore and the Weasleys flashed through my mind. I just shook my head and the image faded. I lifted my arm to cast a spell but then, there it was again. Hermione's face flashed through my mind once more. But unlike the first one, she was not smiling. Her crying face during our last night together flickered through my mind and out of shock, I lowered my hand.

My heart thumped loudly in my chest as her crying face and her muffled moans swam through my consciousness. I can't help but feel scared and I started panting. I felt another burning sensation slash my legs. I looked down and saw dark spots drenching my pants. My legs felt numb and I looked at Tim.

"Harry." Tim called out. He frowned and started to walk slowly towards me. "I can see you're not a powerful occlumens. The girl is your weakness. Fight it Harry." He said with a frown.

I tried to focus. I tried to think about the reason behind it and I recalled Tim's words in my mind. I figured out only one answer. Tim was playing with my thoughts just like what Marvin warned me about. Tim was a very powerful mind controller and occlumens.

Images of Hermione's crying face continued to swim through my mind. It showed how she cried that night because of what I said. Then, a moment later, Tim raked my mind for another memory. The image of Hermione hugging Victor suddenly made my heart stop beating. The pain in my legs intensified and my legs finally gave up. I fell to my knees just as Viktor's image in my head hugged Hermione back and carried her inside his house.

As soon as the vision showed Victor's door close, the image faded and I was able to go back to the present. Tim stared at me with disappointment and sadness as he slashed the air in front of him with his wand.

A cold invisible blade slashed my chest and I clutched it in pain. My fingers came in touch of a gooey liquid and I stared at my hand. It was blood-soaked. It was at that moment that I heard Tim's voice once more.

"Fight it, Harry. I know you can. Trust your abilities. Don't hesitate to hurt me. Never hesitate. Never think twice. Trust yourself." Tim said as he waved his wand once more. As his wand flicked, my dueling wand and the wand in my pocket flew away.

I was hurt. I was wounded. I'm bleeding heavily and I have no weapon left. I was hopeless. Just as how I was hopeless with Hermione. She will never love me the way I want her to.

I heard a heavy sigh from Tim and then I felt the sudden invisible impact once more. My eyes blacked out and my whole body went numb. My senses weren't working and I can see, hear, feel and smell nothing. Everything was black. I struggled to concentrate. I fought back the numbness I was feeling and then my sense of sight, touch and hearing suddenly came back. I stared carefully around me and I was able to figure out that I was not in the present anymore. I was in a very different place.

I was in a dim-lit room. It gave off an eerie and dangerous aura. I looked around the room and saw blurred silhouettes of two people in front of me. The first one was standing and I can make up another person kneeling in front of the first one. After a few seconds, the blurred images cleared up and I gasped in horror at the sight of the face of the two people.

Bellatrix Lestrange was standing in front of me with a filthy hand clutching the collar of Hermione's blouse. Her other hand was clutching a silver knife with the blade trained against the pale skin of Hermione's neck.

"Drop your wand! Drop it or we'll see how filthy her blood is!" Bellatrix threatened. It was then that I realized that I was clutching my real wand in my right hand. Bellatrix pushed the blade deeper into Hermione's skin and a faint scratch showed up. I dropped my wand in panic and the scene that happened only months ago, replayed in front of me. Bellatrix threatened to hurt Hermione and I was left with no other choice but to surrender my only weapon in order to save her.

The scene unfolding in front of me was nearly the same as the real thing that happened months ago. But there was a major difference. Bellatrix and I were the only ones in the room and as soon as I raised my hands in defeat, Bellatrix's image flickered and Tim replaced her.

As soon as I saw Tim clutching Hermione's collar and holding the knife, reality suddenly crashed into me. I was suddenly aware that what I was seeing was not true. I took one last look at Hermione's face and I stood up.

The image in front of me suddenly morphed and turned back to the present. Tim was standing in front of me and I was standing in front of him without any wand. I clenched my empty, bloody fist as I stared intently ant Tim and said. "Nobody hurts Hermione! Nobody!"

I sprinted at Tim after saying those words in anguish. I swerved to avoid some of the boulders scattered around the arena. I ran without thinking and realizing that I have nothing to protect myself with. More importantly, I have nothing to use to attack my opponent but my mind does not care anymore. All that mattered to me was Hermione and all that occupied my mind was… _I won't allow anybody to hurt her._

I did not know what pushed me to do the next thing I did. Half way through the distance between me and Tim, I turned around and jumped. I landed in kneeling position and I punched the ground in front of me with one thought in mind: _Bombarda Maxima_. An invisible force flowed out of my hand to the ground. It traveled the distance between me and my opponent – leaving the ground destroyed in its trails – and it pushed out of the ground as soon as it reached Tim's feet. The force hit him with full impact. He was thrown several feet away and he hit a boulder.

I was still shaking with anger when I sprinted towards the figure of Tim leaning against the boulder. I was in front of him in no time. He lifted his head and stared at me. I turned on my spot and the next millisecond, I was at his right. I pushed him with the palm of my hand while thinking: _Expelliarmus!_

Tim's wand flew out of his hand and he was once again thrown away. I ran towards him once more and as a final attack, I pointed my index and middle finger at his chest as soon as I was close enough. I slashed his chest as I though: _Sectumsempra!_

Several cuts appeared in his body and blood flowed freely. He winced in pain as blood oozed out of his wounds. He was in pain but he smiled at me and said "You did it, Harry. You did it. I was right. You will never disappoint me."

My reasoning was brought back to normal as soon as he finished speaking. My anger subsided and I was able to think about what I'd done. I panicked as I saw blood flowing to the ground from his wounds. Our other companions were already running towards the two of us.

"I-I'm sorry, Tim. I didn't mean to. I was angry. I'm sorry." I apologized rapidly. I was panicking. I did not know what to do next. I cast the sectumsempra spell on him and the wounds won't stop bleeding.

"Harry, what happened?" Brenn asked with panic as soon as he reached us. Our other friends came a second later.

"I fired a spell at him and he was severely injured!" I answered. I raked my mind for the counter curse for the spell. I know I read it back when I still had Snape's book. I scraped my mind for the incantation and after a few seconds, I was able to recall it.

I placed my palm against Tim's chest and recited the incantation in my mind. I was practically begging for it to work. I performed my very first wand less magic just a while ago and I have no time to look for my wand but I don't really have any other choice except to try.

I crunched my forehead in concentration as I repeated the incantation in my mind for the second time. Fortunately, the blood in the floor started to flow back into Tim's wounds and the said wounds sealed itself after the seventh repetition of the incantation. I sighed in relief after the last wound sealed itself.

Tim slowly sat up and my shoulders slouched in relief. Tim smiled at me and patted my back. My arm ached as he patted me and I realized I was also wounded. I felt a cold stick pat my wounds and the pain started to subside. The wounds sealed themselves and faded.

"Thanks, Carter." I thanked the wizard who cured me and then turned my attention to Tim. We were all sitting on the floor at that moment.

"I'm sorry for that, Tim. I didn't mean to hurt you badly. I was… I was just angry." I apologized to Tim.

"Nah! I'm supposed to be the one apologizing." He answered. "I'm sorry for playing with your memories and thoughts and for showing you that illusion. I just want you to fight back. I want you to realize that it isn't real. I'm sorry, Harry."

"It's okay." I said as I stood up and held my hand out to help him get up. He took it and patted my back again.

"You're a powerful wizard, Harry. Being able to perform wand less magic with such power is remarkable." Tim said. "Many wizards can do wand less magic but only few can do it with such power. You truly amaze me, Harry. But always remember, not everything is real. And… Trust yourself and the one you love."

"I will. Thanks…"

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Tim: What will happen to the big assault that's only a chapter or a couple away?

Harry: Is Hermione all right? I haven't heard from her ever since I left. Have you?

Hermione: I'm about to do something important on the next chapter. What would it be?

Cho-ribble (The name is courtesy of one of the reviewers ): What is my next horrible scheme?

Draco: Am I really as annoying as the Draco from A Very Potter Musical?

Cedric: Wanna know the answers to these? Tune in to the next chapter to find out. Well, except for Malfoy's question. :D

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AN: Here it is guys. I know I promised to update more often but I failed you. My computer broke down and I was not able to type the story. But here it is and I hope you like it. Read and review please. )


	21. Failed attempt

Author's Note: PLEASE READ! IMPORTANT! Okay, I just want to clear up some things to avoid confusion. The last three chapters (Harry's Training) and Cho's visits with Cedric started just a couple of days after Harry and Cho arrived at France. Now, this chapter is about Hermione and Cho's conversation which happened two months later, just a week after Hermione found out about her pregnancy. We skipped two months people. So, now that that's cleared up, let's start. Read on!

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Disclaimer: I do not own HP. J.K. still isn't accepting my baked cakes for her so… HP is still J.K.'s.

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Chapter 21

Hermione's POV

I was flipping a card in my fingers as I sat in the living room of the Burrow. I was alone this time. Mr. Weasley went to work as usual and Mrs. Weasley went to Diagon Alley with Ginny in tow. Ron's not present either because he's at the twins' shop, helping them with some adjustments before re-opening. So technically, the whole house was mine.

Not more than a week ago, I met the possibility of being pregnant. Just a day after Ginny and I found out about the effects of the twins' potion, we went to St. Mungo's and checked our theory. It was fortunate that not a single mediwitch recognized me because it would be trouble if anybody else found out that Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of the age got knocked up by some wizard. Yes, our hunch was, in fact, correct. I was really bearing a child.

Last night, before I went to sleep, Ginny talked to me and asked when I planned to talk to Harry about my situation and I answered…

FLASHBACK!

I was lying in my bed, getting ready to sleep when Ginny suddenly sat up in her cot and asked me the very same question I was asking myself.

"Hermione, when are you planning to tell Harry about the baby?" Ginny asked with concern in her eyes. "You are going to tell him, right?"

I sat up in my bed and hugged my knees to my chest. "Of course, Ginny. I'm not going to take away Harry's rights of knowing about our baby." I said as I fiddled with my toenails. "It's just that… Ginny, I'm scared. What if Harry denied the baby? What if he doesn't want to have a baby with me?"

"What kind of question is that, Hermione Jean Granger?" Ginny exasperatedly answered. She stood up from her bed and sat beside me. "He will not deny the baby. And why will he sleep with you if he doesn't want to have a baby? What? For pleasure?"

"You don't have to say it like that, Ginny!" I answered. My cheeks reddened. "I think he was drunk that night."

"Drunk? Oh, about the whole Cho thing? But I thought you said he kept saying that he's not drunk?" Ginny asked.

"No intoxicated person admits to being drunk, Ginny." I answered softly. I remember that night; he kept denying that he's drunk. But what will he say when I tell him that that single night bore something? What will I do?

"Whether he knew what he was doing that night or not, you have to tell him." Ginny advised. She put an arm around me and pulled my head to lean in her shoulder. "You have to take the risk. It's the child's future at stake here, Hermione. And I'm sure Harry won't let the baby grow up without the guidance of a father. He won't let the baby be like him."

"The baby won't be an orphan. I will take care of my baby no matter what. Whether he recognizes the baby or not." I said.

"That's good to know but you really should tell him. Remember the last time I told you to talk to him?" Ginny asked. I nodded and she continued. "Well, back then, it was only for the two of you. But now, you're not just doing this for yourselves. This is for the baby."

"You're right but…what about his girlfriend? What about Cho?" I asked. I sat straight and she was forced to let go of me. I faced her. "They were okay again, that's why they pursued their planned trip."

"The choice is his. At least you did your part. It will be Cho or you and the baby…" Ginny answered.

END OF FLASHBACK!

The scented card felt cold between my fingers. If there was a right time to contact him, this would be it. I'm alone in the house and I have the most urgent reason to talk to him more than ever. Besides, I can always tell him first about the offer at Hogwarts before I tell him about my pregnancy. I can also tell him about the N.E.W.T.s examination and that I passed and I will be going to Hogwarts in a few weeks before I get to the 'topic'. It's going to be okay. I glanced at the card in my hand and read the address. I wonder… Was he staying there with Cho? Are they sharing the same flat, the same room? I'm about to find out.

I took a deep breath and stood up from the couch. I went to the fireplace and kneeled in front of the grate. I got myself ready as I took a fistful of floo powder from the pot and took another look at the address to make sure I won't appear in someone else's grate.

"Number 17 Monsieur Francesco Demeure Paris, France!" I shouted at the grate as I threw the floo powder. Green flame blazed in the grate in an instant. I braced myself for what I will see and finally, I enclosed my face in the green blaze.

The room I saw in front of me was huge. It was elegantly decorated and can pass as a royal palace. The room was brightly lit because of the late morning light streaming through the window. The furnishing of the flat suggested that this was something extraordinary

After marveling at the beauty of the place, I looked around for some sign of a person in the place. It took a few moments of looking around before I caught sight of a person coming out of a room.

It was a girl with a very familiar mane of long black hair. She was wearing nothing but a pink bath robe and was currently drying her hair with a towel. She threw a glance at the fireplace and immediately saw my face. She went instantly at the grate and talked to me.

"Hermione? What are you doing? Why are you flooing?" Cho asked. Her face was a mirror of surprise and curiosity.

I didn't know what to say. This was what I was talking about. Apparently, they really live together. _Now, what?_ I asked myself. What am I going to do? I can't tell her that I'm pregnant with Harry's baby. What am I supposed to do?

"Errr. Cho. Where's Harry? C-can I talk to him?" I stammered. I was lost for words. I was panicking and I don't know what I should do.

Confusion flashed in her face and then it turned to…is that panic? But nevertheless, she answered "He's still in the bathroom. Taking a bath, I mean. I-I'm kinda faster in taking a bath than him. What do you need? Maybe I can pass the message?" She asked.

_Wait, bathroom? Were they taking a bath together?_ I thought. It was then that I heard the sound of flowing water from the other side of the floo connection. Well, it seems normal for two people who love each other to do that. My heart thumped loudly and I was once again lost for words. The familiar searing pain returned to my heart.

I imagined the two of them living happily together and where did that leave me? I will be a relationship wrecker. They truly love each other. For Harry to go through the trouble of providing such special place for them to stay, it's something that a man does only for his love. It isn't even impossible if Harry was planning to propose to her right in that very place.

As I thought of that, an image of Harry kneeling in front of me flashed through my mind. Yes, how happy I would be when that time came. But it will never ever happen. The image changed and instead of me, it was Cho, Harry was proposing to. I felt my eyes well up with tears but I tried to chase it away. I can't cry. I shouldn't cry.

"Errr. N-nothing, Cho. I was just dropping by to see if he was doing okay. T-that's all." I lied. I averted my eyes from her and pretended to fiddle with something on my clothing to hide the tears threatening to build up in my eyes.

"Well. If that's all, He's doing okay. He's perfectly enjoying himself here in France." She answered.

"Oh. I see. T-that's…err… good to hear." I tried my best to avoid her gaze and just went on with fiddling with a stitch in my shirt. But Cho cleared her throat so I was forced to look at her. Her face was as beautiful as a princess' and so I was left wondering… was she really the princess meant to live happily ever after with Harry? And what am I? The wicked witch who kept pulling them away from each other?

"Errrm. Hermione, I-I know that your intentions are good. I know that you're just worried about him. But… Everything's fine now and I think it's time to loosen your grip on him. Harry's a responsible man. He won't do something that he will regret someday. I know that you know that…" Cho started. Her voice was trembling and her head was bowed. "I just think it's the right time to let him be himself. Let him go…"

Cho's words echoed in my head and I was left agape. My eyes were unfocused and glassy. My heart was panicking in my chest and my palms were sweating. I didn't know what to say next. Here she was… the girl that my baby's father loved, asking me to let him go.

"Please, Hermione. Promise me, this will be the last time you'll ever contact him. He will come back. But for the time being, let him enjoy life without you or Ron." Cho pleaded.

I bowed my head slightly and hid my tearing eyes behind my bangs. I remembered my promise to Ginny that I'll tell Harry about our baby. I'm not planning on breaking it. Harry will know…just not now…

I had nothing more to say. I didn't imagine it to be like this. I thought I'd be able to talk to Harry personally but it didn't happen. Is it really true? Did Harry really want breathing space? Did he want us to leave him alone? I don't know anymore.

I nodded my head without looking at Cho and said my farewell. "I understand, Cho. Don't worry. I won't intervene anymore. Just please…take care of him as best as you can. And… y-you don't have to mention that I flooed. B-bye."

I pulled my head away from the fire as soon as I can. I didn't even wait for Cho's response. All I knew is that I want to be alone as soon as possible. I stood up from the floor and ran to the bedroom. I sat on the bed and pulled my knees up to my chest. At that moment, I didn't hold back the tears anymore. I let them freely wet my cheeks.

The searing pain in my chest continued and by the minute, it turns even more painful. It felt heavy as if I was lifting the whole universe and putting all the weight in my chest. I kept crying and sobbing. Was that really it? Did Harry really want us out of his life?

Years ago, he wanted to do everything alone but Ron and I were always with him. We were always there to help him whenever he needs us. I was always there to tell him what to do. Whenever he's lost, I was always the one telling him which path he should take. Can he really live without us, me? No, the question is…Can I really live without him? It seems that…I have to…

Back when Ginny and I visited St. Mungo's, the mediwitch said I was two months along and it's only a matter of time before my belly swells up. In a few weeks' time, I'll be going to Hogwarts. I'll be going away and leaving all the problems about Harry. Once I get in that train to Hogwarts, There won't be any hesitations anymore. Once I close my doors, he can never get in no matter what. If now's really the right time to let go of him, I will. I will…even if it hurts. It must be for the best. Looks like I have to face this alone… No, I'm not alone. Ginny's here and so as Ron. Oh, and the matter about Ron? I will tell him about all of this. At least before I go to Hogwarts.

I caressed my tummy and my sobs turned to minimum. As I think about the people around me who are ready to support me, the heaviness vanished. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander to the future. A picture of me cradling a baby swarmed my mind. Seven months from now, I will have a baby. A cute little baby of my own. I will never ever be alone. I can truly do this. I smiled to myself and opened my eyes. I wiped the tears in my cheeks and took a deep breath.

I can do this. I'm not alone. Ginny and Ron are both here for me…and of course…my baby. I'll make sure he or she will be happy even without a father. I will be his or her mother and at the same time, father…

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AN: So… that's the first part of the conversation. I know, I know you have so many questions. Like… Why's Harry taking a bath with Cho? Why is Cho at Brenn and Harry's flat? Well, everything has a reason. Just read and tell me what you think. Give me feedback.

Character's blabbing:

CHO-rrible – What am I doing at Brenn's flat? Was that my whole evil scheme? Or something more is coming? Hmmmm.

Harry – Why did I bathe with Cho? Wait, did I? o_O

Cedric – All questions will be answered next chapter. So...wait patiently, people. See ya next time *wink*.


	22. The Truth

Disclaimer:

Draco: *reading chapter 21* Hey! What the? Harry and Cho in the same bathroom? Really?

Me: I thought I said answers will be on the next chapter? You're reading the previous chapter. Questions are all there is in that one. If you wanna know what happened, get the disclaimer over with so that we can start already.

Draco: Whatever. You don't own Harry Potter, MYSTERY.

Me: But I really wish I do. .

* * *

Chapter 22

CHO'S POV

Gabrielle and I were sitting in the couch and flipping through muggle fashion magazines when the doorbell rang. I put down my magazine and stood up. I gave Gabrielle one curt nod to tell her that I got it and then she went back to what she was looking at. I, instead, went to the door and opened it. I was greeted by the worried and anxious faces of Harry and Brenn.

"Oh. Err. Hey guys, where's the funeral?" I joked to try to lighten their moods. But apparently, it just got worse.

"Don't wish for a funeral, Cho." Harry said silently. He sighed heavily and glanced at Brenn worriedly. Brenn shrugged.

"Where's Gabrielle? We have a favor to ask you guys." Brenn asked while he peered behind me and looked for Gabrielle. I turned around and looked at the sitting room. I saw Gabrielle standing up from the couch and walking towards us.

"Why don't you guys come in?" Gabby said and motioned for the two men to come inside. Brenn and Harry obeyed. We all sat at the couch in the sitting room. Harry and I were sitting side by side while Gabrielle was sitting beside Brenn. Brenn and Harry seemed really nervous. Harry was sweating beads while Brenn kept sighing.

"Okay, guys… What's wrong? It seems like someone died. What happened?" I asked. Harry was wringing his wrists while Brenn kept blowing his hair out of his eyes-what he always does when he's nervous.

"Cho please quit talking about death. I'm begging you." Harry pleaded with anxious eyes that only got me more worried. Brenn patted his shoulder and turned to me.

"You see guys. Errrrm. Uhhhhm. Man! Harry I don't know what to say. You do it!" Brenn said and he smacked Harry's chest. It boomed against Harry's chest but he didn't even flinch. I know it will sound weird but it seemed like these two boys were made of stone. I started noticing it maybe a month ago. Every time Gabby and I visit their flat – it as probably once or twice a week, it always seems that there is something different about how they look. Most of the time, they have these weird bruises and scratches all over their faces and bodies. Also, over the past moths, the two of them bulked up. Not really too bulky but if you look at Harry, you won't assume that he's 18. He looks like a mid-twenty-aged man. I wonder if they've been working out.

Another sigh from Harry was heard and then he talked. "You see. Brenn and I will be going somewhere. We can't really tell where but we just wanted you to know this so that you guys won't worry. We might not go home tonight. Can you please look after his flat?" Harry pointed his thumb at Brenn's direction as Brenn nodded his head but his eyes flashed with curiosity as he surveyed Harry. Harry just looked at him intently.

"Why won't you be going home?" I asked. At that moment, worry slowly crept to my heart. It was exactly like that day when I decided to visit him in their flat and they were about to go somewhere. They have this certain dark, anxious and gloomy aura surrounding them.

"It's not really that big of a deal so you don't have to worry. We just don't want you guys to worry about us so we told you." Harry answered. Brenn shot him another annoyed glare.

"Oh. Okay. Be sure to keep yourselves safe. Please, Brenn. Promise us you'll be safe." Gabrielle told them. She took Brenn's arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. Brenn just stared at her with sadness in his eyes.

I can't do anything but look into Harry's eyes and I saw in them that he was really worried and scared. My heart pumped loudly and it as then that I had an awful feeling of fright. I felt like this might be the last time I'd see him and unknowingly, tears began streaming down my face. Although he said they'd be fine, I had the feeling that he wasn't truly sure about what he promised and it hurt a lot.

"Cho, don't cry. We guarantee you, we'll be perfectly safe. You shouldn't have those kinds of ideas, you know? We'll be fine." Harry assured. He took my hand and squeezed it soothingly. He wiped my tear-streaked cheeks and gave me a reassuring smile.

I returned his smile and patted his hand. "Be sure about what you're saying, Potter. You should be safe, remember that." I said as I brushed a loose strand of his bangs away from his beautiful green eyes.

Harry gave me another smile and then he said. "We're sure. So… we'll be going, then? You two, be safe too, okay?" He tucked my hair behind my ear and then he turned to Brenn. "Mate, let's go. You gotta go back early. Your girlfriend will be waiting for you" Harry said and then wagged his eyebrows teasingly to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle blushed and immediately let go of Brenn's arm. "I'm not his girlfriend." She said.

Brenn touched her blushing cheeks and then he gave her a warm smile. He turned to Harry after that and said. "Let's go, dude." He stood up from the couch and Harry followed suit.

I patted Gabby's shoulder and gave her a smile. I stood up from the couch as well and I followed the two out the door with Gabby behind me. Once they were out the door, Harry turned to us once more and before leaving, he said "Remember our promise. We'll be safe. You better be safe as well. See you next time." Then, both of them turned in their places and they were gone with a pop.

Gabby pushed close the door and then led the way back to the sitting room. She sat in the couch with a sigh and she muttered. "I hope they'll be safe."

"They promised, didn't they? Let's just pray that they'll keep it. Let's just wish them success at whatever they're about to do." I advised, although, I am really worried about them as well. The loud thumping of my heart can prove that. "Hey. Why don't you just get ready? You said you have to go to Beauxbatons today to arrange some papers for this coming semester?" I asked her. She looked at me with a frown.

"I don't know, Cho. After our conversation with those two, I'm really worried now. How about you? What are you up to?" She asked me.

"I'm worried to but they promised. Let's just trust them." I answered. "Besides, you have to go. It's about school. Don't worry about the guys and the flat. I'll just go there later and maybe clean a bit. Don't worry, okay?"

She answered me with a sigh but I can see that she gave up the conversation. She weakly walked to her room to change and after a few, she was already dressed.

"I'll be going, then. Contact me as soon as you've heard from the two boys, okay?" Gabby said as she walked to the door. I nodded with a smile on my lips. She took her coat from the coat hanger near the door and then she went out. The door closed behind her after she disappeared with a pop.

After Gabby left, I slumped down on the sofa and sighed. I'm not feeling okay as well. After the conversation with Harry and Brenn, I felt like an anxious aura loomed above me. My heart felt heavy and whatever I think about, the worry never vanishes.

Do you ever get the feeling that something bad is gonna happen? It's that time when your heart can't stop beating nervously and wherever you go, you're always reminded of that terrible feeling like it's following you. I'm experiencing that right now. Harry's worried face kept flying in my head and I can't chase it away. Besides that, I also feel that something is about to happen.

I sighed and got up from the couch. Saying that I'll go to the boys' flat later was just an excuse to convince Gabby to not worry. But seeing as I don't really have anything to do at the moment and also to take my mind off things, I decided to go on with the plan.

I went out the door and it locked behind me. There should be no worries even if it locked. The wards had been changed so that my wand can also act as a key to the flat. The same thing was done to Harry and Brenn's flat so getting inside it wasn't a problem.

I turned on my spot and I disapparated in an instant. I was engulfed by darkness and my body was twisted here and there. After the wretched disapparating, I found myself standing outside the boys' flat. I inserted my wand on the wand-shaped gap on the wall and it opened with a click.

I entered the flat and I was revolted at what I saw. The place was trashed! Literally trashed-it was full of trash! The couch was smudged with what looked a lot like cheese from some junk food. How can I say its junk food? Well, obviously, the wrappers were still lying down on the ground next to the couch. The DVD cabinet was open and the discs were falling down from the stacks. There were scotch glasses and an ice bucket in the counter of the bar. I sighed. "Boys…" They're totally hopeless. What will boys do without girls? I shuddered. I don't want to find out.

I started cleaning. I picked up all the trashes on the floor and threw it on the garbage bin. Boys are really unbearable. They can't clean for themselves. It's like the word _clean_ wasn't in their dictionary. Well, almost all boys. Cedric wasn't this dirty was he? I've known him for a long time and know for a fact that he was clean when it comes to his body and also his room. He hates dirty and smelly things. That's the best thing about Cedric. He's not like any other boys. Wait, Cedric? Why am thinking bout Cedric? I'm supposed to be thinking about Harry, not Cedric.

I mentally scolded myself for thinking about the Hufflepuff boy. I was not supposed to be thinking about him. I shook my head to chase away all thoughts of Cedric and at the instant the thoughts went away, Harry's face swam once more in my mind. The familiar thumping returned and the terrible feeling loomed over me again.

I shook my head to clear it again. It was then that I realized that I was doing everything with my own hands whereas, I do have my wand. I whipped my wand out and swished it in a circular motion. All the left over rubbish threw themselves on the trash bin. After that, I tapped the couch and all the dirty smudges were instantly gone. I waved my wand over the DVD cabinet and they arrange themselves in orderly stacks. After working on the sitting room, I moved on to the bar and then the kitchen and then the game room and then the list went on and on and on.

Due to the size of the flat, it took me more than and hour to clean the different rooms-excluding the boys' rooms and one guest room. And that was cleaning with magic. I hate to think how long It'd take if I didn't use my wand. I sat down forcefully on the couch after the exhausting job. I laid down on it and let myself take a rest. I wasn't really planning on cleaning the boy's room. Partly, because there are personal stuff in there that I'm not allowed to touch and also because I've already cleaned the flat. It's already their responsibility to clean their own rooms.

I stood up from the couch and walked in front of the boys' rooms. Their doors were just opposite each other. I turned Harry's doorknob to peek inside. I was not planning on trespassing. I was just going to take a peek. I peered inside and I saw that it was messy. It wasn't dirty at all but his stuff was all over the place. Without closing Harry's door, I opened Brenn's. I wanted to compare their rooms; although if you take note of the destruction of the place before I cleaned and the state of Harry's room, I already have a conclusion.

I peeked inside Brenn's room and I was right. Brenn was the dirty one and Harry was the messy one. Brenn's stuff was piled in one corner and it wasn't messy. But the room was full of wrappers of junk foods and other snacks. It suggested that Brenn was the EAT-NOW-CLEAN-LATER type. I smiled to myself at the thought of the two boys collaborating to trash the whole place. Apparently, they did a good job. They're a perfect match. *sigh. Really hope they're alright.

After the whole peeking through the door business, I went back to the living room and sat once again on the couch. It was then that I noticed a black box beneath the center table. I failed to see it at first because it was small and it was black. I picked it up and place it on top of the table.

It was a black box with silver carvings along the edges. It looks a lot like an antique item. There was a knob on top and so I guessed that where it's supposed to open. I clutched the small knob and out of curiosity, I pulled it open. What happened next was pure bloody hell. A smoke of black dust flew out of the box and clung themselves on my face and clothing. I screamed out of surprise and I forcefully closed the little box. I clutched my wand and swished it around my face while muttering "Tergeo!"

Apparently, nothing happened. I was still covered with black sooth. It was most probably a joke shop item not an antique one. Dammit! Now I have to take a bath. Stupid box. Stupid curiosity.

"Baby, you're not alone. Cause you're here with me and nothing's ever gonna bring us down cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you and you know its true it don't matter what'll come to be our love is all we need to make it through." Sang my mobile phone. I immediately knew it was Cedric. The phone had a feature that enables you to set different tones for different people. It was Cedric's idea to set that song whenever he calls. I don't know why he did. When I asked him, he just said it's from an awesome musical play and the lyrics appealed to him. Whatever. I pushed the green button and then I raised it to my right ear-careful not to dirty it with the black dust in my face.

Cedric's voice greeted me from the other line. "Hey Cho-ey-poo." He annoyingly said.

"Cho-ey-poo?"

"Yep."

"Where the hell did you get that?" I asked him irritably. I heard him chuckle and then he answered. "I just thought it's cute. Ha-ha. I'm only joking. So… What do you think about lunch together? I have something to talk to you about. Can I come over?"

"I'm not at Gabby's. I'm currently at Brenn's." I said. "But, errr. Why don't you come here instead? I remember Brenn asking me to talk to you about his X-box. He thinks it's not working well. He wants you to take a look at it."

It took him quite a while before he answered. "Hmmm. Well, okay. I'm comin' over, alright?"

"Wait! Don't come yet!" I immediately shouted at the phone. I imagined him taking the phone away from his ear due to my loud voice. I smiled. "I'm still cleaning around here. Can you give me half an hour?"

"Can I help you, then?"

"No need for that. I'm about to fi- Oh, please, I'm done. I'm just going to take a bath. I'm dirty. Now, will you give me my half hour?" Ugh! This conversation is taking way too long. I can already feel the itch.

"Okay, okay. Cool down, alright? I'll be there in half an hour." He said with a chuckle.

"'Kay, bye! Don't forget your key, I mean your wand." I said and then immediately pushed the end button. It's good that his wand is also a key in Brenn's flat. I don't have to open the door for him. It happened a month ago. Harry found out that the two of us we're hanging out when he found us in a muggle restaurant and so he invited Ced in Brenn's flat after eating. Then he introduced them to each other. Ced was fascinated with Brenn's gadgets just like Harry so, naturally…the three muggle-minded boys easily got along pretty well. They immediately became buddies. So now, whenever Brenn and Harry needed another companion in playing their weird games, Cedric is always just a floo away. So that's pretty much the explanation how Cedric's wand also became a key. But he still can't just apparate inside the building. He has to enter through the door downstairs. Building rules.

So now it's time for me to take a bath. I stood up from the couch and went to the bathroom. I'm just gonna take a bath in here. I don't wanna risk anybody seeing me if I go back in Gabby's flat. Once I was inside, I glanced at my clothes. My collar was black and there are smudges on my shirt's torso. Ugh! Where am I gonna get clothes? Well, I can borrow one from Harry, I suppose. It won't be the first time I borrow a shirt from him. I always do that when we were still together._ Harry_...my heart thumped loudly when I thought of him once more but I immediately shook my head. I shouldn't be worried. He promised me. I have to trust him. Okay, so…Problem one solved. But where are the towels? I looked up and found a cabinet in the opposite wall. I opened it and BINGO! I found clean towels and unused bath robes inside. With a smile on my lips, I stripped down and opened the shower. I started cleaning myself but I realized it's not an easy task; the grime won't come off easily. It takes a lot of scrubbing. Crap, I'm definitely in for a long bath.

Half way through my bath, I heard a click from outside. I glanced at the wall clock attached to the wall in my right. Uh-oh! My half hour was over. Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Cho, are you done yet?" I heard Ced's voice from outside.

"Not yet! Just go wait for me in the sitting room. I'll be done in a few." I shouted at the door.

"Okay. I'll wait for you there and you can tell me about what Brenn said about the X-box."

I didn't answer anymore. I figured he already went back to the sitting room. Good thing I already cleaned up. I'm sure Cedric wouldn't like dirty stuff. Wait, dirty stuff? Gosh! I forgot to tell him about the black dust. Uh-oh! I'm sure the excess dust is still lying on the table, waiting for a contact with human skin.

"Cedric! Don't touch the black dust on the ta-!" I was cut off midsentence by Cedric's frantic wail. Psh! Over clean guy.

"What the? What is this black stuff, Cho?" He shouted all the way from the sitting room.

"It's some kind of dust from a joke shop item. Don't even try Tergeo. It won't work. It doesn't come off with magic." I said. I heard him curse and it made me smile. I imagined Cedric's face at the moment. He's so adorable when he's irritated. "You can try washing it off. It's kinda the reason why I have to take a bath."

"UGH! I hate dirty things. Where is the sink, again?" He asked-shouted.

"You don't remember? How many times have you been here?" I asked as I scrubbed off the last dirt off my left hand.

"You can't blame me! This place is huge. Come on, where's the sink? It's itchy already!"

I laughed out loud and then answered "Walk straight ahead. The kitchen is at the end of the long corridor." I heard several loud stomps passing the bathroom door and then I heard sloshing water. After making sure that I was completely clean, I walked away from the shower spout and reached for the towel. I dried my hair and then I put on the bathrobe. I opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom. As I was making my way to Harry's room-which was on the other side of the corridor, I noticed green blaze coming from the sitting room. I took a glance and I saw a head peering from the grate. I walked towards it and found Hermione Granger's head floating in the fireplace.

It was her again. What did she want this time? I felt the hammering of my heart as I walked closer to the fireplace. Every time I have to deal with her, I have to lie. What am I supposed to say now? Wait, how did she get Harry's address? What if she and Harry were already having floo calls? My hand felt cold when I crossed it against my chest. I sat in front of the grate.

"Hermione, what are you doing? Why are you flooing?" I asked her. It took her a few seconds before she stammered an answer.

"Err. Cho. Where's Harry? C-can I talk to him?" She stuttered. Oh my god, what am I going to say? Should I say that he left? I was raking my mind for a better answer when I heard the flowing water from the kitchen.

"He's still in the bathroom. Taking a bath, I mean. I-I'm kinda faster in taking a bath than him. What do you need? Maybe I can pass the message." I lied. As if on cue, the sound of gushing water from the kitchen, maximized. I just hope Cedric takes longer washing that dirt off. It would be trouble if Hermione realizes I'm lying.

"Err. N-nothing, Cho. I was just dropping by to see if he was doing okay. T-that's all." Answered Hermione with a trembling voice. She bought it! Maybe this was really the first time she'd ever contacted Harry.

"Well, if that's all, he's doing okay. He's perfectly enjoying himself here in France." I lied once more. I know I should be happy that the two of them weren't having connections, but the more I lied, the more nervous I get. No, I'm not nervous, I'm guilty. I hate to admit but I am guilty.

"Oh. I see. T-that's…err…good to hear." Said Hermione. She bowed her head and tried to avoid my gaze. How can I blame her? I've been doing this a lot lately. But can you blame me? I'm just a girl, apparently madly in love with a guy who can't even return it. I'm bound to do this.

"Errrrm. Hermione, I-I know that your intentions are good. I know that you're just worried about him. But… Everything's fine now and I think it's time to loosen your grip on him. Harry's a responsible man. He won't do something that he will regret someday. I know that you know that. I just think it's the right time to let him be himself. Let him go…" I said. Hermione's face mirrored surprise and her eyes were unfocused. It was obvious that what I said hurt her. I should be ashamed of myself. I should be guilty. But I have no choice. Hermione's clutch on the man I love is tight and I can't let that happen. I can't let her win without a fight. I have to get Harry back. I have to because I need him.

I bowed my head as I let my tears flow down. I hid it from her. I can't let her see. "Please, Hermione. Promise me, this will be the last time you'll ever contact him. He will be back. But for the time being, let him enjoy life without you or Ron." I pleaded once again. I was eager to end the conversation. I can't control myself anymore. If it takes longer, I know I'll break down.

"I understand, Cho. Don't worry. I won't intervene anymore. Just please… take care of him as best as you can…" Hermione pleaded. I was held speechless. At that moment I felt a pang of hurt and guilt pierce my heart. She really did love him. More than herself. She'll let herself be hurt but she'll never let him be hurt. If I didn't need Harry, I will let them be. But I do. I love him and I need him.

"And you don't have to mention that I flooed. B-bye." She said her farewell. It was just like that day when Harry and I left. She flooed and before she ended the connection, she said the same words. _You don't have to mention that I flooed._ She was a martyr. She will take everything for Harry. But she let him go. Just because of me… _She shouldn't let him go. YOU should let him go._ I heard a voice tell me from the back of my mind.

_No, I need him!_ My heart argued.

_You don't need him. You need someone else._ My mind insisted. Or was it really my mind? I don't know anymore. But what if? What if it wasn't my mind but my heart that was dictating that I needed someone else, someone that I love more?

"Cho?" I heard a husky voice call out to me. I turned to look at the grate and found it empty. Hermione must have ended the connection a while ago. I felt big, strong hands clutch my shoulder and gently pull me up. It was Cedric. "Why are you crying?" He touched my cheek and wiped away all the tears.

"Am I bad? Am I cruel?" I asked him. Confusion filled his face. He caressed my cheek with his hand and it felt so comforting. It felt so soothing that I unknowingly pressed my cheek harder in his palm.

"What are you talking about, Cho? What happened? Did somebody talk to you? I thought I heard voices." Asked Cedric. He was looking at me with anxious and worried eyes. He lead me to the couch and urged me to sit down.

"No. I wasn't. I just…" I hesitated. He put an arm around me as soon as we were both sitting at the couch. "Am I a bad person, Cedric?"

"I don't know where you got that, Cho. But please quit talking like that. I'm not used to seeing you like this. You're not a bad person, okay?" Cedric insisted. He cupped my chin and pulled my face up so that we were eye to eye. "You're not bad. You won't be bad."

"But why do they hate me? Why don't they want me, love me?" I asked. Tears were streaming freely down my flushed face. "Why?"

Suddenly, Cedric pulled and hugged me. He stroked my hair gently as he whispered softly in my ear. "You are not bad, Cho. And they don't hate you." He pulled away and then he kissed my forehead. "I'm sure there's someone out there who loves you more than you can ever think of. There's someone out there, waiting for you."

He was looking intently into my eyes and his shining blue orbs seemed like they were speaking to me, telling me something. I hugged him tightly and let the warmth of his body relax my own.

"Are you, okay now?" He asked. I nodded against his chest. "Are you sure that nothing happened?"

"Yes." I softly murmured as I pulled away. I looked intently at his eyes and said… "Thanks."

All throughout that encounter with him... One phrase was echoing through my mind accompanied by the intense beating of my heart…'_You need someone else…' _

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A/N: There ya go. I know it took me more than a month just to update this one and I owe you guys a sincere apology. I'M REALLY SORRY. I was busy with school and a cheer dance competition, that's why I wasn't able to update. But I have good news! I finished the outline of the story. All I have to do is type it in the computer. HOORAY! And this chapter is pretty long so I hope you guys will forgive. I truly am SORRY. Read and Review please!


	23. The Big Assault

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I don't think I can ever own it even if I wanted to.

AN: It's so frustrating that nobody reviewed the last chapter. I'm so sad. I guess taking too long to update really has its bad effects. I'm really, really SORRY. I hope my former reviewers will send me feedbacks again. I really wish so. Please Read and REVIEW.

PS: Anyway, I want to thank those two who reviewed my other story, my songfic. And I'm encouraging everyone to read it and please send me reviews. Please.

Chapter 23: The Big Assault

October 19, 2010: Edited. I changed some of the details in this chapter. :D

3rd Person POV

Brenn and Harry exited Gabby and Cho's flat silently. It's early in the morning but they are fully dressed. Wonder why? Well, this is the day they've been training hard for, for months. This day, they will attack the group of death eaters that the Ministry wanted them to extinguish.

Without another word, they turned on their spot and disapparated with a pop. Just as planned, they apparated at a dark alley a few meters away from the Serpent Sitter pub. The whole group decided to wait for each other in that alley before attacking. Brenn and Harry are the first ones to arrive.

"Why did you do that, Harry?" Brenn exasperatedly asked. Harry looked back at Brenn with a raised eyebrow and a confused expression. Brenn sighed and continued. "I mean why did you lie to them? According to the letter that the Minister sent us, we can only tell one of our closest friends about our mission at the day of our assault. And that day, Harry, is now. If you've forgotten, I'm reminding you."

"Relax, Brenn. I haven't forgotten about it. I completely remember that condition." Of course he does. How can he even forget? They were only allowed to tell one person about their mission at the day they're about to risk their lives. Meaning… they can tell nobody about it until now. Actually, that was the very same rule that Harry intended to break when they're about to leave London. Didn't he decide to tell Hermione about it that very same day even if it meant breaking the instructions of the Minister? Certainly, McGonagall told him that it was forbidden but he insisted that Hermione should know and she ensured the Headmistress that Hermione will surely keep it as a secret. McGonagall didn't have any choice so she allowed it and guaranteed that the Minister will not know about what Harry's about to do then. He intended to tell Hermione but he wasn't able to. That was the sad part. He wasn't able to…

"Then why didn't you just tell Cho?" Brenn asked again. His eyes hidden by the dark shadow cast by the tall walls of the buildings surrounding the alley.

"Brenn, I know that you wanted to tell Gabby about this. But I think it will get them worried. That's why I decided not to." Harry answered. He leaned his back gently on the cold cement wall.

"But what if we die? What if we can't go back anymore? They will be heart-broken, Harry." Brenn whispered sadly as he leaned weakly on the wall.

"That's up to us now, Brenn. If you want to go back to Gabby, you should do your best." Harry answered. Just then five pops echoed through the dark alley. The dark, bulky silhouettes of five men walked towards the two, their feet making tapping noises against the ground.

"We should all do our best, Harry." The first man said with a smile. It was Tim.

"Do our best so that we won't die." Marvin said.

Harry smiled back at the new arrivals and motioned them to walk closer. Tim, Marvin, Drew, Phillip and William emerged from the shadows and smiled at Brenn and Harry.

"Where's Carter?" Drew asked Harry and Brenn. He sat on the ground as he waited, looking up, for an answer.

"I don't know. He's not with us." Brenn answered. As if on cue, another pop signaled the arrival of another person. His dark silhouette was tall and he had spiky short hair. He wore black jeans and black leather jacket over black tees. It was Carter.

"Hey!" He said quietly. His voice was hoarse and cracking. He stayed at the back of the group and looked intently at Harry.

"Hey dude! What took you so long? And since when did you turn emo?" Brenn joked at his best friend he walked towards him and clapped him on the back. Carter's face didn't show any hint of amusement.

"What's wrong with you, Carter? You look different and act different. What happened?" Harry asked as he eyed Carter carefully.

Carter's eye changed from it serious state into a worried and panicked state. "I'm just nervous. Don't mind me, guys. I'm okay." He said and smiled widely, showing his pearly white teeth. But it never reached his eyes.

Harry wanted to ask more but he controlled himself. Now's not the time for interrogations. They have a group to evaporate and extinguish ASAP. "Okay, I won't ask anymore. Just make sure you guys will put your heads in the game, okay? We need a whole group so I don't want any of your minds flying somewhere else during this assault. I need all of you to be alert, are we clear?"

His companions nodded, their eyes glinting with determination. Harry hoped their determinations will last until the end. They need to work as a team to make this successful. They're going against a hundred enemies and they need every help they can get from each other.

"So, you know the plan. We enter the pub without anyone suspecting. The first team will be the same as before. You guys go first so that we'd avoid suspicious eyes. Tim, put the wards on the door so that no person with the dark mark engraved on their skin can go out of the pub. We, then, will attack the targets. Make sure that you look around to avoid the enemy sneaking around you. I'm sure after we attack, their numbers will drop and many back-ups will arrive. Tim, make sure that you adjust the wards so that no death eater can exit but they can enter. We have to make sure that every back-up can successfully get inside so that we can put an end to ALL of them. We have to stick together through this, okay? I don't want any of you missing even a strand of hair after this. Promise me, no one will die." Harry said. He can feel it now, the adrenaline rushing through his veins. This is it. They're about to wreck havoc in the weird pub. This has to go according to planned or something might go terribly wrong. He nodded to his companions and put on his hooded robe that was kept inside the inner pocket of his jacket. They mimicked his action and then the first group, the same as before, pulled their hoods lower over their head and walked towards the pub.

Harry and the others kept a close eye at their companions as they entered the pub. The three were the first ones to enter. Tim stopped for a while beside the door, leaned casually on the wall beside it and carefully tapped it with his wand as the others entered. He then followed suit behind the third man after putting up the wards. Harry saw them sit near the targeted table where about twenty people were sitting.

After waiting for a few minutes, just as they planned, Harry decided to lead his team. He pulled his hood over his head and made sure that it hid his eyes from view and walked casually towards the pub. Just like the first team, they entered the pub inconspicuously. Harry was the last man on the line. He waited as each of his team members swiftly walked through the door. But the man in front of him hesitated near the door and entered slowly as if he was afraid to go through it. Harry had no clue as to who that man was. It could be Brenn, Phillip or Carter. Before going through the door Harry tapped the door once more to secure the wards and to strengthen it. His action didn't go unnoticed by the man in front of him for the man turned around when his wand came in contact with the doorframe and he sighed heavily. Harry didn't catch a glimpse of the man's face under the hood. But his shape's really identical to Carter's.

Harry and his team sat near the targeted table and threw a glance at their other companions sitting at their right. They settled themselves first for a few minute after sitting and calmed their nerves. Harry heard multiple deep breaths before he signaled to Tim. He threw his hand in the air while holding his wand and shouted very loudly "Nobody moves! This is a raid!"

What happened next was what usually happens when somebody shouts _nobody moves_. Naturally, everybody moved. The other wizards and witches sitting at the other tables shouted and pushed their way through the door. They passed through it swiftly, which means that not a single death eater was with them. Meanwhile, the ones sitting at the targeted table took out their wands and pointed them at Harry and his companions. Harry and the others took their robes off their bodies and whipped out their wands.

The fight started with multiple words and incantations mingling with one another. Different colored curses were thrown here and there. From the twenty people there, Harry, Tim, Will and Marvin took on three each, while Brenn, Carter, Phillip and Andrew took on two each.

Harry took on two wizards and a witch. Harry figured the two wizards would be more difficult to deal with than the single witch. He cast the jelly-leg jinx on each of them to occupy their attention. Then he turned to the witch. He immediately cast the body-bind curse at her while her knees wobbled down. By the time she thudded on the floor, the two wizards already cast the counter-curse on themselves.

One of Harry's opponents positioned himself at Harry's right while the other positioned himself on Harry's left.

"Think you can defeat both of us, Potter?" The one on the left taunted. Pathetic. He had the confidence to mock Harry whilst his face was contorted in fear. Harry snorted at them. Lefty and Righty cast curses at Harry at the same time. Idiots. Harry ducked easily and so their curses hit each other.

Righty's left foot sliced itself and flew a few meters away. He shouted at the top of his lungs and out of Harry's pity on him, he saved him the effort of shouting. Harry instantly took the chance and stunned him.

Lefty, on the other hand, was lying lifeless near Harry's feet. Looks like Righty was more vicious and killer-minded than Lefty.

All around Harry, the others were trashing the place with bodies of unconscious death eaters. Harry can see three Wills dueling a trio of Death Eaters. Will #1 was strangling one DE. Will #2 managed to disarm one DE because he was already holding two wands. That left him at an advantage. Both Will #2 and #3 dueled the disarmed DE who looked like a monkey and the other DE. The disarmed one sprinted towards Will #3 (He was afraid to attack the Will with two wands) and tried to wrestle him down on the floor. While Will #3 and the disarmed DE were wrestling on the floor, Will #2 was throwing multiple curses at his opponent. Both of them were wrapped in a rainbow of lights and when the lights vanished, the DE was down on the floor and unmoving. Will #3 managed to get the monkey man, clinging in his back and wrestling him, to stop wriggling. Will #3 stood up with the DE attached in his back and with all his might, he let himself fall backwards and crush the DE on his back. Then he stood up again and stunned him.

Andrew was just a dull blue blur running around his two enemies. He trapped them inside a circle and threw multiple stunning spells and curses at them. The poor DE's were too confused to see the curses hurling at them and they were unable to cast even one spell.

Phillip, who was near the wall, had one of his enemies in the grip of his vicious vines and the other was pinned to the wall by aerial handcuffs. He was sending stunning spells to each one of them. But they were wriggling too much and so they were able to dodge the spells aimed at their heads. Out of annoyance, Phil replaced the aerial handcuffs with smoking hot rope-like flames and the DE pinned on the wall wailed in agony. Then Phil hurled a stunning spell at his open mouth. As the DE trapped in the vines saw this, he panicked and wriggled even more. Phil, then, enclosed him inside a huge water orb. Just as the DE was about to cast a bubble-head charm on himself, Phil released him and then he dropped to the floor. Phil used the DE's disorientation at his advantage and he cast the body-bind curse at him.

Brenn on the other hand was just blowing his hair casually out of his eyes as his enemies were twisting with agony in front of him. Their faces were forlorn and agonized to the highest degree. Harry wondered what Brenn was making them see. After a few more seconds, Brenn decided to give them mercy and just stun them instead. Both DE's fell to the floor with their faces still gripped with fear.

Carter was also flicking his wand here and there in a foreign way. In just two flicks – both green curses were sent at his opponents - his opponents were down to the floor.

Just then, several pops signaled the arrival of the DE back-ups they were expecting. Harry caught a green spark out of the corner of his eye and he ducked to the right. He saw three more opponents sauntering their way towards him. They placed themselves around Harry and raised their wands to attack.

Marvin was the nearest to Harry and his luminous blue orb was glinting brightly. Marvin saw Harry's opponent's raised wands and intended his circle to maximize its size and Harry's opponents were suddenly engulfed in the circle. Their former speed slowed than to almost ninety percent and their flinging wrists slowly moved up and down. Their faces showed confusion and Harry took the opportunity, he cast a couple of body-binding curses and it hit them instantly. He muttered a low thanks to Marvin and stunned one of his opponents for him.

Harry looked around the room to find Tim. He found him near the bar with a pile of death eaters at his feet and a new set dueling him. Tim was dueling one on one with a man who looked like a rat. One of the DE near Tim was unmoving. The said DE's senses were driven numb by Tim's mind controlling ability. Another DE was dueling one more DE. The two dimwits were dueling each other. Being a mind controller really has its perks.

The apparition pops continued and Harry immediately saw Avery apparate near the corner of the room. He made his way towards the wizard. As soon as Avery's eyes found Harry, he threw a curse at him, which Harry dodged to the right to avoid. Harry estimated the new arrivals to be more than thirty. He guessed that there are more that still haven't showed up. Harry sent spells to other death eaters while dodging the ones from Avery.

"Potter, I should have known you were coming." Avery said. His voice was quite different than what Harry remembered. But he ignored it.

"Something tells me you had an instant plan when you heard from your fallen death eaters that we ambushed them, Avery." Harry said. He spit out Avery's name as disgustingly as he could. "I know there are nearly a hundred of you and there are only about fifty here. Where are the others?"

"Oh, I assure you, Potter, they are coming. They're coming to kill all of you." Avery threatened as he threw a killing curse towards Harry. Harry shoved to the right and the curse went harmlessly past him. But the two death eaters behind him weren't as lucky. The killing curse hit both of them with a mighty green glow. Two birds with one stone. And to think he wasn't the one who threw the stone. He smirked at Avery and Avery cursed.

Harry sprinted towards Avery, casting Stupefy at him. Avery almost got hit but the turned to the right to avoid it. But unknown to him, Harry had anticipated his move before he even planned it. Just as Avery faced Harry again, he was hit by Harry's Sectumsempra and he dropped to his knees while clutching his bleeding torso.

Harry then turned to the others and witnessed hell when he saw more than forty death eaters. The popping ceased but Harry can see his companions sweating beads and some were suffering with cuts and broken arms. He wondered what had happened. They were doing okay a while ago. He witnessed the answer to his question the moment he left Avery bleeding to death.

Marvin's blue orb was now almost as big as the pub. It slowed down six enemies. The newcomers were more skilled than the ones they had already stunned. That much was obvious because Marvin was already sweating beads and his face was contorted, showing how much effort he was exerting. Harry backed him up. Marvin slowed down their opponents while Harry took their opponents by surprise with his invisible wand less magic. Their first enemies went down easily because the element of surprise where in their favor. But when a new set of six came, it became more difficult. The new set already knew about Harry's ability with wand less magic and they have prepared themselves. At the moment three already went down, Harry saw Brenn having difficulty with his opponents. Marvin saw it too and advised Harry to help him out, saying he can already handle the remaining ones.

Harry limped towards Brenn who was dueling one while three were kneeling in front of him with frightened faces. Harry saw why Brenn was having a difficulty with the dueling thing. Sometime when Harry was fighting with Avery, one opponent of Brenn managed to cut the side of his torso. It was obvious because his gray shirt was now black and soaked with blood. Harry saw that the ones kneeling were already starting to realize what was happening and were nearly awakened from their nightmares. Harry helped Brenn and stunned three of them before they can even awaken from Brenn's illusion. Brenn, on the other hand, managed to cast the body-bind curse at his opponent.

A loud explosion caught Harry's attention just as he was making his way towards William. The ceiling exploded with a huge explosion and about five DE's escaped through it. William, Brenn, Drew and Marvin ran after the death eaters. They passed through the door swiftly. Harry thought about the number of the escapees, four people can't handle five escapees. Some of them might disapparate away. And they can't let that happen. He was about to follow through the door when he saw Carter towering over a couple of fallen opponents. He called his attention and told him to go after, instead of him. Panic crossed Carter's eyes but he shook it away. He was about to go out through the ceiling when Harry shouted at him. "Carter! What are you doing? Go through the door! They are already running away!" Carter seemed to be woken up by Harry's shout and he went for the door. But he hesitated before he went out, as if he was afraid that the door won't let him pass.

Harry turned his attention once again to the war inside the pub. He took care of Drew and William's unfinished businesses. Good thing Brenn and Marvin's were already slumbering on the floor. He easily took down Drew's opponents but William's were the hardest. There were still five of them and Harry was already limping. Tim was also engrossed in his own battle with six DE's.

Harry threw curses and wand less spells at his opponents. One managed to cut his arm. He took down three of them with all his might. Every time he stretches out his arm, it bleeds even more. By the time his last opponent fell to the floor, his sleeve was already bloody red and his leg was thoroughly aching. Unknown to him, one more DE was walking behind him and was poised to attack. He whipped around just as he was about to be hit by a killing curse. It missed his ear by an inch. Another curse was hurled at him and it hit his other leg. HE felt it turn numb. He tried another wand less magic. He thought of Sectumsempra. The DE who attacked him, spluttered blood and fell to the floor. More deep cuts emerged from the DE's body. After that, the gesture took its toll on Harry. He felt his head ache and his arms stiffen. His breathing got slower and his legs gave away. He kneeled for a moment and tried to catch his breath. He took a look at the others who were left at the pub. Tim was there and fighting a new horde of Death eaters. But Harry saw that he was already clutching his bleeding side. Harry struggled to stand up and help but his head swirled and he lied flat on his back. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Phillip run after two Death eaters who went to the back of the pub to hide. Tim threw another curse at his last opponent and the said Death Eater fell unconsciously. Well, so did Tim.

"Tim!" Harry shouted at his companion. He struggled to crawl to him but his side instantly grew hot and he felt gooey stuff trickle down it. He saw Avery's bloody body walking towards him. He still has the energy even though he was bleeding to death, while Harry can't even stand up? Well, Avery only had one opponent since he arrived, it was Harry. But Harry already took down more than fifteen. Half of those, he attacked with wandless magic. Even though he trained hard, that kind of effort still drained him and he was bound to collapse sooner or later. But he didn't plan to collapse in front of Avery. He can't collapse now. He has to fight him and curse him and bring him to Azkaban.

"Think y-you can get rid of m-me that easy, P-potter?" Avery stammered as he limped his way over to Harry. His shirt was blood-soaked and he was clutching his side. "Crucio!"

Harry shouted in agony as an invisible forces slashed through his body. He felt heavy things being banged on his legs and he felt his head being hit. He felt heavy weight push his body down. He suddenly can't breathe. He twisted to the left and to the right because of the tormenting torture he was experiencing. Then after what felt like half an hour, the heavy weight was lifted. Harry looked at Avery and saw him coughing up blood and adding it to the red puddle near his feet. Harry felt his head swirl once more. He struggled to stand up but he can't find the strength to. He looked to the right and saw Tim's eyes half open. Tim's eyes were still full of the determination that he saw there before they attacked and Harry wished he also had that. He stared back at Tim's eyes and saw him trying to open his mouth.

"Fight it, Harry." Tim mouthed. He then proceeded to crunching his forehead and stared intently at Harry and Harry felt an invisible force hit him once more. He felt his head ache and he stared at the ceiling. He wondered what's going to happen next. He wondered what happened to the others who ran after the escapees and he wondered whether or not Phillip found the hiding Death Eaters.

He wondered if he will be able to live after this. Will he be able to go back to his and Brenn's flat after? Will he still be able to go back to London? Will he be able to go back to Hermione? Harry sighed. Hermione…What was she doing right now? At the thought of Hermione, Harry instantly felt the urge to go back to her. To have her treat his wounds and have her help him. But didn't she ignore his letter? It had been two moths since he gave the letter to Cho and asked her to send it. But he asked Cho almost everyday and she said nothing came back. It only meant one thing, didn't it? She doesn't feel the same for him. Tears escaped his eyes as he thought of the girl he loved an then he closed his eyes. What's next? What's next for him without her? Nothing…

"Harry, get up." A voice of an angel whispered at his ear. He opened his eyes to find the glowing face of Hermione at his side. She was leaning over him with a worried expression on her face. "Please, Harry. Don't give up. Get up and fight. I don't want you to give up. I want you to go back to me."

"Hermione…" Harry murmured weakly. He tried to caress her cheek but she dissolved into thin air at the same time that Tim closed his eyes. Harry thought about her face and what she said, _I want you to go back to me._ Harry suddenly found himself standing up and towering over Avery.

"I have to get rid of you, Avery. I have to get this over with and go back to her. See you in Azkaban, criminal." Harry said before he stunned Avery. He fell to the pool of his own blood, unconscious. "I have to finish this and go back to her. Even just as a best friend. I can't let her loose me." Harry whispered to himself as he stared at Avery's bloody body. He turned to Tim and then sprinted to Tim's side. By the time he sat by his side, Tim's eyes were open once more. He was smiling at Harry. "Thank you, Tim."

Tim's response was a weak pat in his shoulder. Then, the ones who ran after the escapees, arrived, a pile of stunned Death Eaters floating in front of them.

"We got all of 'em. Good thing Marvin slowed them down before they can disapparate. The ones who weren't able to be slowed by Marvin were chased by Drew." Brenn said with a smile. "Hey, what happened?" Brenn suddenly pale once he saw Tim's body beside Harry. The others ran towards them in an instant.

"I'm okay, guys. Don't worry. I'm not that easy to get rid of, you know?" Tim ensured them with a smile. He reached up a hand and Harry helped him up. He leaned at the bar and sat down on one of the seats. "Wait, where's Phil?"

"I'm here!" Phil emerged from the back of the pub with two bodies being dragged by vines. "These dimwits gave me a hard time searching. One hid in the bath tub in one of the rooms upstairs, you know? Apparently, you can rent a room here just like the Leaky Cauldron. The idiot filled the tub with water and then used the bubble head charm to breath underwater. Good thing I found him." The vine loosened the grip on its prisoners and Phil shoved the soaked man in the floor.

Harry looked around the room filled with out cold men and women. "Looks like there really are nearly a hundred of them, huh?"

"Yep! But we surely showed them who are stronger, eh, Carter?" Brenn clapped Carter's back with his good hand. His other shoulder was limp and bleeding.

Carter smiled and then said "Yeah. Now, let's get this over with and shove their faces in Azkaban. I need a cure, I can't feel my arm. Bloody hell, I want to lay down."

"Bloody hell? Since when I you use that expression and I didn't know you can do Brit accent, dude." Brenn teased.

Carter paled but shrugged his shoulder nonetheless. "I have talents." He said.

Unknown to them, that Carter they were talking to certainly has many talents that they wouldn't want to have even in their dreams…or nightmares…

AN: There you go, guys! I hope you like it and I know you're kinda confused. Feel free to ask. Please send me a REVIEW. It really makes me sad whenever nobody reviews. PLEASE REVIEW!

What's next on FIRST AND LAST?

Hogwarts is reopening, Hooray! Hermione's going to be one of the professors. But before she boards the train, she'll tell Ron about something first. What is it? You gotta wait to find out. Oh and yeah, someone will be joining the story next chapter. I know you know him. He's been annoying us for a long time now. See you next time!

PLEASE REVIEW! It'll make my day.


	24. The New Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I will never own it.

AN: Yay! I have 44 reviews now! That's awesome! Thank you to all those who reviewed and those who added my story and me to their alerts and favorites list. Hooray for you!

**pixies114: **I will never let Harry die, that, you can count on. Thanks!

**miyakosaku:** Draco, in this chapter? Hmmm. You gotta read to find out. Will he be Herm's friend? Well, wait for the next chapters for that question. And your final question is… Will Harry discover Cho-rrible hiding Hermione's letter from him? To answer that, honestly, there aren't any letters from Hermione. I think the real question should be… Did Cho-rrible really send Harry's letter? o.O I hope I answered everything you wanna know. Thanks!

**pawsrule: **I have a great plan for Cho in the end. About Carter, I can't tell you now. But I promise, everything will click into place sometime. I hope you stick with me until that time. Thanks so much!

**Bob: **Thanks a lot for the review. And sorry because I feel like I'm kinda disappointing you because most of the following chapters are fillers. I did my best to avoid them but it wouldn't turn out well. It might cause confusion in the last chapter if I avoid these filler chapters. I hope you understand and I hope you bear with me during these kinda boring filler chapters. Thanks again!

**proudtobeatheatrekid: **Yes, Harry gets to go home. I hate to say this but it won't happen anytime soon. He'll still spend some bloody time with Cho. I'm sorry about that. Oh, and what do you mean? You reviewed last chapter? I didn't receive any.

Okay on with the chapter!

Chapter 24:

Hermione emerged from the restroom with a pale face. She was clutching her stomach as she made her way to the living room of the Burrow. She sat weakly on the soft sofa and took a deep breath. She just finished throwing up all of the delicious breakfast that Mrs. Weasley prepared. She felt sorry for her. She always prepares delicious meals but she just wastes them and throws them all out.

She sighed. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the sofa. Clutching, her stomach, she wondered what might happen in the future. More or less than seven months from now, she'll be giving birth to a baby. She's merely 19 when that happens. She will be a single mom. It's not that she can't take care of her baby on her own but she wondered if the baby can live without a father.

Father…Whenever she thinks about the baby, her thoughts are always, and she means always, drifting to Harry Freaking Potter! It's an inevitable event. It's a good thing that even if she always thinks of him, it never makes her feel lonely. Yes it makes her wonder and think about several what ifs. _What if he comes back? What if he suddenly says to her that he wants the baby?_ And so many more what ifs. But the biggest what if in her mind was… _What if he loves her?_ There was only one answer to that question. If ever he loves her, they wouldn't be in that situation. But even so, she doesn't blame him for the situation she was in right now.

She didn't regret having a baby. In fact, she sees it as a blessing. She didn't blame him for knocking her up. She didn't know if there was something wrong with her mind. Because she was actually happy it was Harry who did it. She was smiling silently with her eyes closed when her reverie was disturbed by Ron.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Ron asked with concern. Hermione flung her eyes open and searched for Ron. She threw a glance at the table and he saw him sitting at one of the chairs and looking at her with worry in his eyes. "You've been doing that a lot lately."

"What do you mean?" She asked dumbly. She wondered, did he see him smiling to herself? Was that what he was asking about?

"Throwing up every morning." He answered shortly. Hermione's face paled. "Maybe you've got the flu. I think you should go to Mungo's, just in case."

She felt all color drain from her face. She totally forgot. Ron didn't know anything about her situation. What kind of best friend was she? She looked at Ron's eyes. She saw pure worry and them and she felt guiltier.

"I already went there, Ron. And I don't have the flu. I'm not sick." She finally said. She saw confusion and worry mixed in his eyes. Now's the right time to tell him about it. At least before she goes to Hogwarts.

Ron stood up from the dining and sauntered to the couch and sat beside her. He faced her. "Then, what? What's wrong? Something you ate?" He asked like an older brother.

He truly did change over the years. After the war, something about him changed. Yes, he was still childish and a food monster but unlike before, he's not afraid to show worry and care for others anymore. And Hermione knew that Luna had something to do with it. "Ron, I have to tell you something important. But before that, please promise that you will listen to me first." She requested. Ron nodded gently and so she continued. "Ron, I'm pregnant."

The redhead furrowed his eyebrows at her. His expression was blank and unreadable. Hermione thought he was going to yell at her. But he just asked gently. "Are you serious?"

Hermione answered him with the same tone of his question. "You know me, Ron. I don't joke about things like those."

Confusion hit him in an instant and he nervously combed his hair with his shaky finger. "How, who, when, wha-?" He stammered. Ron was shaking and panicking. It was as if he just found out that the Chudley Canons were already breaking apart. Hermione didn't blame him. What would you have felt? When you find out that your best friend whom you treat as a sister, pregnant and without a boyfriend? You would've felt the same.

She found herself crying silently with her head down and apologizing to him. "I'm sorry, Ron." She felt like she was a disappointment to him. She didn't expect him to take the news like this. "Say something, Ron, please." She begged. She would've traded the situation with an argument. She would've preferred him yelling at her, yelling about how stupid she was to be knocked up. Yelling is more preferable than this. Because a silent Ron only meant one thing. He was thoroughly hurt. "Please, Ron."

She heard him release a trembling sigh. Then she felt strong and warm arms around her, pulling her gently. She hugged him back and cried at his chest. "Hermione, tell me about it. Who's the father?"

She calmed herself down. She took deep breaths. He did the same. She waited a few more seconds to let his heartbeat slow down before she told him about the big shocking revelation. "It's Harry."

She heard another sigh from Ron but his heartbeat didn't race again just like she expected. His arms tightened around her and she felt his warm breath on her hair. "I knew it. Look, if this happened to anybody else, I would've yelled at them for being stupid. But I know you, 'Mione. You're the smartest of all of us, for crying out loud. I know you know what you're doing. I won't interfere with what you've decided upon. But know this…" He pulled her away from him and looked in her eyes. "Whatever you're decision will be, I'm with you." He wiped her tears away and then his stomach grumbled.

Hermione laughed and Ron turned beet red. He always knows how to ruin a serious moment and turn it into an amusing one. "Thanks, Ron. I know you'd be with me. I know Harry's your best friend and you'd want me to tell him. But I've tried and it didn't work. Now, I would like to ask you to keep this as a secret from him. Please, Ron."

"I trust you know what you're doing, Hermione." He murmured. Hermione nodded. "Okay, I promise. As mush as I know that Harry should know this, I trust you and your decision." Ron swore.

The remaining weeks before the start of term passed by rather fast. Before Hermione knew it, she was already loading her trunk to Hogwarts. But unlike before, she wasn't going there as a student. She's going to lead a new life as a professor at the prestigious school.

Ron, Ginny and the Weasleys bid her goodbye. They decided to take her to King's Cross Station. She promised to visit them every time she gets the chance to. But she had the feeling that wouldn't be too often, considering her situation. Ron and Ginny promised to visit her at Hogwarts whenever they can instead, knowing about her pregnancy. She bid them farewell and then she boarded the train.

The train ride was boring and dull, not to mention nostalgic. It felt weird to sit alone in the train's compartment and hear the chatters of the students. Only two years ago, she was one of those chattering students. More over, she wasn't sitting alone. She was sitting with her two best friends. How she missed those times. Those times when they can just engross themselves into conversation and not care about the world outside their little universe. It all started when Voldemort was brought back to life. How she hated when that happened. How she missed being carefree and just being with her two boys.

Three clicks on the door signaled someone outside it, knocking. She glanced outside and she saw none other than Neville Longbottom outside. She clicked the lock of the door and she pulled it open. She learned that Neville would be the new Herbology professor at Hogwarts after Professor Sprout took a vacation and rest after the war. The rest of the trip was spent with Neville and Hermione having a conversation about the new professors that would be entering Hogwarts that term. She wondered who the others were. Most importantly, she was happy to admit that she forgot about her problems for the mean time while she cheerfully talked with Neville.

Once they arrived at Hogwarts, they immediately went to the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast. Unlike before, she sat at the faculty table and not at the Gryffindor table. From there, she noticed the new teachers that were attending the feast. After the kids settled in, the sorting began and they watched the happy, cheerful and some frightened faces of the new first years. Then, the new Headmistress' welcoming address came. She was welcome rather cheerfully by the whole school. She introduced the new professors and the new Heads of Houses.

Hermione was the one to be introduced first. She stood up and gave a grateful bow and a smile. She was announced as the new Gryffindor Head of House and Transfiguration Professor. Neville was introduced as the new Herbology Professor. Hannah Abbott was the new Astronomy Professor. Cedric Diggory was the new DADA Professor and Head of Hufflepuff House. Draco Malfoy was the new Potions Professor, much to her surprise. He was also made the new head of the Slytherins. Flitwick was still the Head of the Ravenclaw House and Charms professor. No other changes were made beside those and so the Headmistress started the feast.

Hermione would've eaten more if Draco sodding Malfoy wasn't staring at her the whole time. She caught him more than a couple of times staring at her but every time she looks at him, he'll immediately look away like he was hiding something. But there seems to be something different about his stony gray eyes. It wasn't stony anymore…just…stormy. Like it was conveying a lot of emotions waiting to be poured out like rain. She didn't know what it meant so she just shook it off and tried her best to ignore him during the remaining time of the feast. But she can swear, he definitely didn't quit staring at her. Weird.

There it is! Pretty fast, huh? Well, I'm on a roll because of all the reviews I got today. It got me so energetic. I told you reviews are my life. LOL! So please keep them coming! Please push the green button down there and give me one! Oh and yeah, I apologize if it takes so bloody long before Harry goes home. I hate to disappoint you guys but he still won't be going home anytime soon. I have more things planned out. I hope you don't hate me for that. I hope you stick with me until the end. REVIEW PLEASE!

PS: I want to advertise my other story that I posted just a while ago. It's a DraMione fic and it's written for a challenge. I've only uploaded one chapter but it will be totally awesome if you guys can read it and most of all… review! Thanks!

**What's next on First and Last:**

Brenn and Gabby need to go back to school and to America and wait… What? Harry tries out for the French Falcons Quidditch team with WHOM? CHO? WHAAAAAT! Tune in next time to find out. LOL!

**Random Blabbing:**

**Hermy-one:** Oh my Wizard God! Why does Draco Malfoy keep staring at me? What the bloody hell?

**Draco "Ferret" Malfoy:** hey! I'm not a ferret! Oh and what the heck? Stormy gray eyes conveying emotions waiting to be poured out like rain? What was that? Oh and since the poll on Mystery's profile earned a total of 9 votes. 8 votes said that I'm better as goodie, goodie boy and only one said I should remain as the arrogant villain, I guess you know what that means. See you next time!


	25. Wrong Decision

Disclaimer: Seriously, how many times do I have to do this? I don't own Harry Potter. JK does. I don't own Lord of the Rings either.

AN: Okay, I want to apologize to you guys. I wasn't able to update yesterday. Sorry. I wasn't able to because I did a different thing yesterday. I edited the Big Assault chapter because one of the reviewers pointed out something to me. And I admit he's got a huge point so I changed it. The plot and the point of the chapter weren't affected. I just added some details and minimized some other details. But you guys are free to check it out if you want.

**Bob**: I have no other ways of contacting you so I'm gonna talk to you in here. Thank you for pointing that out in your review. I already changed it. I hope it made a difference and I hope the chapter's not over the territory of possibility now. Thanks again. And about your opinion on Draco… About the back story, honestly I don't have one. My only basis was the epilogue of the DH where Draco gave Harry a curt nod which means he regarded him. If we were to put the old self-conceited Draco in that scene instead of the mature one, I think Malfoy would have snorted at him and not regard him. And also when the trio were kidnapped and were brought to Malfoy Manor, Draco refused reveal the trio's disguise. I think that's a first step to changing. I think he's got potential. That's what I'm counting on. I won't divulge too much on Draco's reason on changing. But don't you worry. I won't change him that much. I won't put him in this story as a complete goodie goodie. I'll be sure to keep the original character of Malfoy but I'll turn it into a minimum. I'll make sure that's he's more mature now and he'll be able to distinguish what's the difference between good and bad. I hope you won't hate me for putting Draco here. Lastly, I wasn't planning on making this a DraMione fic. Thanks again.

**pawsrule: **Thank you for constantly reviewing. : DD You know it makes my day. Huge thanks!

**pixies114: **Thanks! What Hermione needs the most during the moment is a friend to lean on. Since Harry's out of the scene, it should be Ron's job. Thanks again.

**miyakosaku: **Ohhh. I'm sorry to say this but this won't be a DraMione fic. Hermione is for Harry and for Harry only in this one. I'm planning a different role for Draco to play. That's why I put him in here. He's got a different purpose. I hope you won't hate me for that. Anyway, thanks for the review.

**proudtobeatheatrekid:** Awwwe. I didn't receive any. I wonder what happened to that review of yours. Too bad. But, you reviewed on the last one and also now. Thanks a lot about that. I also promise to update as often as I can. Thanks!

**TwiTrek23: **The story's driving you mad? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? You wanna kill Cho? Oh believe me, everybody does. LOL! Thanks.

****: Wow. I actually counted your sevens. There are 27 of them. Anyway, thanks for reviewing. Also, just like what I said earlier, I'm planning a different role for Draco. I'm sorry to disappoint you but Draco won't fall for her. I hope you won't stop reading because of that. Lastly, Hermione's situation won't interfere with her work. That's why she was assigned to Transfiguration. It's not too dangerous. Thanks again and sorry.

WOW. My AN took a whole page. I'm sorry about that, guys. On with the chapter. I hope you won't hate me after this.

Chapter 25:

Harry was looking through Brenn's DVD stack while Cho was preparing some popcorns. It had been a week after the assault and a few days after Brenn went back to America and entrusted his whole flat to Harry. Gabby, on the other hand, already went back to school and entrusted her flat to Cho.

FLASHBACK!

Brenn, Gabby, Harry and Cho were all gathered at Brenn's living room and watching some early muggle show on the television when Brenn suddenly spoke.

"Harry, dude. I just wanna ask you one thing." Brenn started. He was sitting at the floor and looking up at the TV before he turned and faced Harry.

Harry, who was also sitting at the floor beside Brenn and leaning against the side of the sofa, peeled his eyes off the TV screen and faced the other boy. "Well, okay. What is it?"

"Were you planning to go back to London anytime soon?" Brenn asked.

The question got Harry thinking. Was he planning to go back? Was he ready to go back? "I don't really know yet. I haven't really thought about it yet, Brenn. But I think I'll spend some more time here. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you see, I'm about to go home to America. Maybe a couple more days or maybe even tomorrow or the next day." Brenn said. "I was thinking if you weren't planning on going home yet and spending more time here in France, you know you can always stay here at my flat."

Harry looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You mean you'll let me stay here even after you go back to America?"

Brenn leaned his head against Gabby's leg who was sitting on the sofa. "Yeah, why not? At least the flat won't be empty and that'll save you the effort and expense of looking for another place to stay." Then he turned to Gabby. "Gabby, you did the same, right?" Gabby nodded her head gently.

Harry looked up at Cho who was sitting beside Gabby on the couch. "Cho, you agreed?"

"Actually, I haven't decided yet. I was actually going to ask you." Cho reached out and fiddled with a strand of Harry's hair that was sticking up at the center of his head. "Since I don't have anything else to do back in London, if you're staying here, I'll be staying too. What do you think?"  
"I don't know yet. I'll think about it." Harry faced Brenn and clapped him in the back. "Anyways, thank you, Brenn." Then he turned to Gabby. "And also to you, Gab. Thanks a lot to both you."

"Nah! Don't mention it. As long as you two get to enjoy your stay here, that's all that matters." Brenn answered.

END OF FLASHBACK!

In the end, Harry decided to spend a couple more weeks at France before he goes back to London. So now, he's living alone at Brenn's huge flat while Cho was staying at Gabby's.

"So, you found a good one?" Cho emerged from the kitchen with huge bowl filled with cheese flavored popcorn. She sat at the sofa and popped a popcorn in her mouth.

"Yeah. I think so." Harry took one DVD case out of the cabinet and showed it to Cho. "LORD OF THE RINGS. What do you think?"

Before Cho can even answer, the fireplace blazed with green flame and it spit out a mysterious package.

"What the?" Harry stood up from his spot in front of the DVD cabinet and sauntered in front of the grate. The blaze had already died down when Harry peeked at the hearth. He cautiously picked up the package and went to sit with Cho at the sofa.

"What's that?" Cho asked curiously. Harry shook his head and laid it down on the table.

"I don't know. It came out of the grate. I didn't even know you can also send packages and mails through the floo network. Did you know this?" Harry turned to Cho.

"Yeah. Of course. There are other ways of sending mail besides using owls. But look at the package, Harry. It has a note." Cho said as she reached out and pulled the note attached to the package and handed it to Harry. Harry took it and flipped it open. He began reading and his eyes grew wide after a few moments.

"Oh my wizard god! It's my birthday?" He inquired loudly.

Cho answered him with a raised eyebrow. "Don't tell me you forgot? Who sent that, anyway?" She looked pointedly at the box in the table.

"Ron wrote the letter." Harry reached for the box and ripped its wrappings. He opened the box and he saw quite a number of gifts inside. He looked a the letter once again and found a note near the edge of the paper. It said _PS: The gifts were from me, mum and dad, Fred and George, Bill and Fleur, Percy and Ginny. I reckon you'd know which is from whom, mate. Happy Birthday!_ Harry smiled. They all remembered his birthday while he completely forgot.

Forgetting his own birthday had been a long time sickness of Harry. Back when he was still staying at Privet Drive, he'll only remember that it was his birthday when an owl arrives, carrying a gift from Ron and when a mailman delivers a gift from Hermione. Hermione… Harry wondered if Hermione remembered his birthday. Usually, she's the first one who remembers and the first who sends a gift. Just then, Harry heard low ticking form outside the window. He threw a glance outside and saw a handsome barn owl clicking its beak against the window. He stood up from the couch and went to the window. He opened it with one swift move. Once the window was open, the owl flew hastily past him towards the couch.

The owl dropped the package that it was clutching and it fell harmlessly on the couch beside Cho. The girl gave him a questioning look but he just shrugged his shoulders. After delivering the package, the said owl flew away without another hoot.

Harry walked cautiously to the couch and picked up the package. Must be another gift, he thought. Its shape was oddly familiar. It was long and slender but it grew plump near the end. A short piece of parchment was attached to it and he carefully snatched it. It only said on sentence in a very familiar handwriting. _Happy Birthday, Harry._

Even without a name, Harry can recognize the neat, slim handwriting anywhere. It was Hermione's. _I knew she wouldn't forget it_, he thought to himself. He smiled fondly at the piece of parchment and pocketed it.

"What's funny? Who's it from?" Cho asked.

"Hermione." Was his answer. He quickly picked up the package and sat down on the couch. Unseen by Harry, Cho's eyes twitched in panic. Harry unwrapped the item rather excitedly. In one rip, the whole wrapping came of. Harry's eyes fell down to a beautiful and shiny new broomstick.

"Wow." Harry's eyes widened as he gazed at the gorgeous broomstick in front of him. It was a new firebolt. Thinking back, Harry lost his old broomstick while fleeing from Voldemort more than a year ago. It was a waste because the broom was from his beloved godfather, Sirius. But this was a gift from Hermione, the girl he loved. Even though it's not his first one, this would certainly be as valuable as the first.

"Wow, indeed. That's a great gift." Cho murmured softly. She reached inside her pocket and took out a small black box with a red ribbon around it. "Speaking of gifts, here's mine." She handed the box to Harry. "It's not as expensive as that one but it's personalized, so I guess, it's still worthy to be given to the Boy Who Lived."

Harry momentarily peeled his eyes off the firebolt and looked at the black box in Cho's hand. He took it with a smile and opened it. Inside was a glinting golden pocket watch with a golden chain. Harry could tell it was purchased from a muggle shop because the style was muggle-like, dissimilar to the hour glass style of pocket watches that are more commonly used in the wizarding world. Harry wondered how Cho got it. The watch had the image of a lion on the front. Harry pushed the lock and it flipped open. The interior of the clock was marvelous. The watch had golden digits and golden hands. But engraved on the interior of the watch's cover were Harry's name in glinting red ink.

"Wow. Very Gryffindorish." Harry said with a smile. Cho smiled back but Harry didn't miss the slight tinge of loneliness in her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just think that next to those numerous gifts from the Weasleys and the gorgeous gift from Hermione, this would be nothing." She said as she bowed her head. Harry cupped her chin and pulled her face up to level his.

"Hey, don't say that. You remembered my birthday. That alone is enough considering I forgot about it. But gave me this and its personalized. It only means you've prepared for this. Thank you, Cho." He said as his green eyes gazed at her blue ones.

"You're welcome." She replied with a smile. It almost took all her might not to kiss his soft cherry lips. Harry pulled his hand away and then he put the chain of the pocket watch around his neck.

"Now, how do I send a letter through the floo network?" Harry inquired as he picked up the parchment with Ron's letter.

"Just do what you would if you were trying to make a floo call. Just shout out the address and instead of enclosing your face in the flame, just throw the letter in and then it'll arrive." Cho answered.

Harry pulled his wand from his pocket and summoned a piece of parchment and his quill and ink. The summoned objects flew to Harry's hands and then he laid them all on the table. He wrote his thanks letter to Ron and all the Weasleys. He didn't include his message for Hermione, thinking that Hermione couldn't be at The Burrow at that moment because if she was, she would've just included it with Ron's package. He thought she could be back at Grimmauld Place at the moment and she didn't know Harry's address that's why she sent the parcel via owl. He just has to floo her later, then. After writing the letter for Ron, he went to the grate and then grabbed a fistful of floo powder and then he threw it into the fireplace. "THE BURROW!" He shouted and the green flames blazed. He threw his letter and it vanished in an instant along with the flames.

"There. Now where were we?" Harry asked Cho as he hoisted the firebolt and laid it down gently on the other sofa. He turned his back on Cho and went to the cabinet again to lift up the DVD. He put it in the DVD Player and hit play.

He sat back on the couch as the film started. Unknown to him, Cho's heart was thumping with panic and her face was etched with worry. Harry sent a letter back to London, he might have mentioned something to Hermione. Something that might make him discover about her past lies and bad deeds…

The afternoon passed by in haste, maybe because Harry was so excited to be alone in the flat so that he can floo back to Grimmauld Place. Actually, it was all that occupied Harry's mind while they were watching the movie. So when Cho left his flat late in the afternoon, it was safe to say that Harry was jumping with excitement.

He was already clutching a handful of floo powder in his hand as he faced the fireplace after closing the door behind Cho. With a smile etched in his lips, he threw it in the grate and shouted "NUMBER 12 GRIMMAULD PLACE!" Emerald flames blazed in the hearth. He enclosed his head slowly in its warmth and soon, he found himself staring at his late godfather's old living room.

The room was dark and eerie and it looked like it had never seen sunlight in a whole decade. Harry felt his forehead crunch in confusion. He looked around the room and found no sign of life amongst its corners. "Hello? Hermione? Yoohoo?" He silently called out to the darkness. The only answer he got was the low swish of the cold night breeze.

With complete confusion etched in his handsome features, he retreat his head from the blaze and found himself staring once again in Brenn's fireplace. The green blaze died after a few seconds but his confusion never ceased. He stared at it for a few more seconds before he made up his mind. He stood up once again and dug up another fistful of floo powder. He ducked low and stepped into the fireplace. He threw the floo powder forcefully down the grate and shouted the address once again. The green flame engulfed his whole body and he found himself swirling and swirling and swirling past different fireplaces.

After the dizzying floo travel, Number 12 Grimmauld Place's grate spit him out together with a mountain of soot. He tripped on his feet and fell down on the carpeted floor. He stood up, dusted himself and coughed up the ashes that managed to enter his mouth. "Hello?" He called out once again. Nobody answered him just like before.

"Hello?" Calling out one more time - he doesn't get tired of calling out, does he – he heard a pop from the corner of the room. Out of surprise, he managed to point his wand at the mysterious elfin figure slowly approaching him.

"Who are you?" He asked. His voice was rather loud and intending to scare whoever the bloody short man was. He succeeded for the petite silhouette shuddered and walked shakily towards him. Harry lighted his wand and saw none other than Kreacher walking shakily towards him. "Oh, Kreacher. It was you. I'm sorry. I thought it was…never mind. Why is it so dark in here?"

"Welcome home, Master Harry. Kreacher thought you would never come back. It had been so long, master." Kreacher bowed at his master and Harry gave a regarding nod.

"Yeah, it had been quite long. So what happened? Where's Hermione? Is she with Ron?" Harry sat at the couch and invited Kreacher over.

The house elf proceeded to a cross-sitting position near Harry's feet. "Kreacher does not know, Master. All Kreacher knows is that she left and never came back."

"She left?" Harry inquired. He was shocked. Although he knew that she left to go to Viktor, he thought she would think of going back. "She never came back after she left that day I went to France?"

"Oh, she came back, Master. It was near dinner after Mister Ron came back. But she immediately went to her room. Kreacher was preparing dinner back then." The house-elf explained slowly. Harry waited patiently for the house-elf to finish what he was saying. But Harry can't deny his thumping heart as he waited. He felt as if a dreading feeling is soon to overwhelm him. "Kreacher remembered Mister Ron coming to get Miss Hermione. It took Mister and Miss a long time before coming down. Miss was already clutching all her belongings and then Mister told Kreacher that He and Miss will be leaving. Since then, she never came back."

"Never?" Harry asked, his chest heaving slowly with deep and strained breaths. "Do you know why she decided to leave?"

"All Kreacher heard was that Miss is going to look for another home. Saying that it is impossible for Miss to stay here longer. Mister Ron accompanied Miss as she left. That's all Kreacher knows, Master." Kreacher finished.

"Oh. O-okay. T-thanks, Kreacher. Can you fetch me a piece of parchment and ink and a quill?" Harry asked. After bowing again, Kreacher left with a pop to fetch what he needed.

_She left, eh?_ He thought. Looking back, he was still confused about what happened that day. After waking up, he went to McGonagall to ask the details about his mission so that he can tell her, and then when he came back, he found out that she went running to Krum? How it broke his heart that day. For him, it only meant one thing… She was sorry for what happened between them the past night. Now that he thought of it, it really looks like she regretted every bit of it. She came running to Viktor, maybe to say sorry to him about what happened. Then she came back to Grimmauld Place to pack her things. She regretted everything, which means that she no longer wanted to be reminded of it. And Grimmauld place was doing the exact opposite to her. It was shouting what had happened between them and it meant nothing good for her. So she decided to leave. That was the most possible reason Harry could think about.

He reached into his pocket and retrieved the letter attached to the firebolt. Only one sentence. Now it made sense to him. Normally, she would have sent him a letter saying how much she misses him. How she wishes to see him soon. But the letter said nothing of sorts. It only held one sentence. One freaking sentence. Probably, she still doesn't know how they stand with each other. She didn't know if it was appropriate to tell him all those things she used to tell her when they were still friends. Now it's inappropriate to tell those after what happened to them that night. It wasn't appropriate for two best friends. Best Friends… Harry thought to himself. It was probably the farthest they can go without hurting each other. Just like before, she remembered his birthday just like how a best friend would. It's only fitting to thank her just like how a best friend would.

A pop echoed loudly through the corners of the dimly lit room. Kreacher appeared out of thin air and then he laid all the things that his Master asked at the table. Harry said his thanks and began writing a message to his best friend. _Thank you for the awesome gift. You really know what would make me happy for my birthday. Thanks, Hermione. You're the best... –Harry_ He folded the parchment in half and scribbled Hermione's name in it. He stared at it for a few more moments. A message of a best friend to a best friend. That should be it. That's all they can ever be. It's for the best. Harry would rather be just a best friend than hurt her. And as much as he hates to admit it, being best friends is the farthest they can both go.

"Kreacher, can you do me a favor? Please send this via owl to Hermione. Thanks a lot for the help, Kreacher." Harry gave the letter to Kreacher and then patted his shoulder. "I'm going away again, Kreacher. But I'll be back. I just don't know when. Can you promise me that you'll take care of the house until I get back?"

The house elf nodded and bowed at his Master. "Of course, Master. But in return, Kreacher wants Master to be safe."

"I will be, I promise, Kreacher." Harry assured him. The house elf bowed once more and then disappeared with a pop.

Harry sighed loudly and closed his eyes as soon as he was alone in the room. _Now, a long time of vacation and stay in France sounds like what I perfectly needed. A time away from all of this…_

AN: There. I really hope you guys aren't virtually killing me at the moment. Please don't hate me because of what happened to the chapter and because of not updating yesterday. Please don't hate me and don't refrain from sending me reviews. Feel free to tell me what you think. You know it'll make my day. Please send me reviews, okay? I feel like I've lost some of my reviewers along the way and it's not good. So please send me one. But no flames please. THANKS!


	26. Quidditch

Disclaimer:

I do not own Harry Potter.\n I will never own it.

JK owns HP.

AN: I have something to tell you guys. Since I received so many reviews asking me when Harry and Hermione will reconcile, I think I owe you an explanation. I know these filler chapters are somewhat annoying because it's taking so damn long. The story is also turning even more dramatic each chapter and I'm afraid some might not like it. Actually, I'm also quite annoyed by these fillers and honestly, I just want to skip them but I just can't because there are still some things that should happen first, so that we can avoid confusion during the last chapters. But what I'm gonna do is merge the following chapters as much as possible and just do what's supposed to be done so that we can get these fillers over with and then Harry can go home. I'll try to do my best to shorten the period of time they're away from each other and I promise, these next chapters are not dramatic for the two of them.

PS: One more thing. I haven't noticed it earlier but I already have 59 reviews! I'm so ecstatic! Now, a treat for the fiftieth reviewer, whoever that was, that reader deserves a treat. I know it's late but I should at least be generous in that way. The fiftieth reviewer gets to ask one question that I'll completely answer. You'll find out who that reviewer is at the end of this note. Now, I'm targeting 68 reviews because that's my favorite number. A treat awaits the 68th reviewer. LOL!

**ivorynightfall**: I just have to get some more things over with. I promise, no more dramatic scenes about HARRY and HERMIONE. Thank you for the review. I hope the drama in this fic won't drive you away. Thanks again.

**Cinduri**: Thank you for the review. It's so much appreciated. And there won't be any more drama between them on the upcoming chapters. Thank you for reading and reviewing. Hope you continue. Thanks!

**pawsrule**: Thanks again for that review. "Please make sure Cho gets what is coming to her in the end!" I was wondering, when you said this, what was your idea of 'getting hers'? Does that mean you want her to die or just pay for what she did and be forgiven?

**Bob**: Actually, after Harry goes home, I think there would be about ten chapters and the tenth is the last chapter. Can that be considered 'shortly after'?

**miyakosaku**: It's not going to happen at Hogwarts. That's all that I can say for now. But you'll find out soon enough. I promise to update as often as possible so that the story can progress faster. Thanks for the review. It inspires me to keep writing. Thanks!

**proudtobeatheatrekid**: Hermione's letter? Errrm. Harry read it. It was only one sentence. It's the _Happy Birthday, Harry_ sentence. That's it. The explanation to that is… Do you remember what Cho said when Hermione flooed? She said that Hermione shouldn't contact Harry anymore. That's the reason why it's just one sentence. She can't ignore Harry's birthday and she kept her promise to Cho, as much as she hates it. So that's it. Thanks for the review! : DD

**: **LOL! I recounted the sevens just to make sure. All these sevens are making me addicted to it as well. LOL! Anyway, thank you very much for that review. I really, really appreciate it. I hope you'll like the next events in the story. Thanks again and you rock!

**TwiTrek**: First, thanks for that wonderful review. Second, kindly quit shaking me, my cookies are falling down from my pocket, AHHHHHH! MY COOKIES! LOL! Third, Did you know that you're my fiftieth reviewer? And because of that… You have one question that I will answer. Whatever that question would be, I'll answer it completely. But you only have one question. Remember to send me a review with your feedback on this chapter and your question. I'll PM the answer to you. Thanks again!

Wow! My AN took a whole page again. I'm sorry! But I just have to make that announcement. So on with the chapter!

Chapter 26:

The days dragged on in a hurry. But to Harry, it felt like it was dragging slowly. There are three reasons why a few weeks felt like a few months to Harry. First, He had nothing to do but to sit in his flat and watch some TV, play some video games and eat and sleep. Second, he has no job. So one can fairly call him a jobless man. And it makes him feel stupid. Lastly, he misses home. It's already September 1998. He's very much sure that the new term had already started at Hogwarts. He misses the school so much that he wants to resume his education. He wondered what's going on in the school at the moment as he sits back in the couch of his flat. (Let's call Brenn's flat HIS flat from now on) His mind was racing when someone rang his doorbell. He stood up from the couch and opened the door. He found a very excited Cho waiting outside.

"Harry! I found the best job for you!" Cho squealed in delight. She flung her arms around Harry's neck to emphasize her excitement.

"Oh. Really? Wait, Cho I can't breathe." Harry gently shook Cho away. "So the job. What about it?"

"Okay, listen." Cho started, clearly hiding the excitement in her eyes. "The other day, I saw this flyer at the lobby downstairs. It's about this Quidditch team that's going to hold try-outs to fill the position of their seeker today. Apparently, their seeker decided to retire. So they're desperate to find one ASAP. I think it's perfect for you, Harry."

"Whoa, wait just a minute. You want me to play at a Quidditch League here?" Harry said, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Are you mad? I'm not a French National and it had been a long time since I last played Quidditch. It had been two years, Cho." Harry closed the door behind her and led the way to the living room. He sat back at his usual spot. Cho followed suit and sat beside him.

"So what? You're an exceptional seeker, Harry. And you're the Boy who lived. Surely, that counts for something." Cho said. She reached for the remote and shuffled through the channels on TV, looking for a channel where the people aren't speaking in French.

"Time out on that one. I'm not going to use my influence and my name just to get a position in a Quidditch League. That wouldn't be fair." Harry said as he kindly grabbed the remote from Cho and pushed a few buttons. The former French language of the people in the TV was suddenly dubbed in English.

"I'm not saying you use it to get the position. What I'm saying is that it'll help in making them consider you for the position. Then, show them your talent. I'm sure you'll get it." Cho stood up from the sofa and went to the window. She opened it wider and tied the curtains to the side to let the early day break light to flow through the windows without interference. "After all, you've never lost a match ever since you started Quidditch. AAAAAAANNNND!" She turned around from what she was doing and pointed a finger at Harry. "You're the youngest Quidditch Player Hogwarts had ever seen in a whole century."

"Okay, Cho. You've made your point. But still it had been a long time since I last touched a snitch that's flying in the air. My skills may have rusted." Harry argued. By that time, Cho had already finished what she was doing and was already standing in front of the sitting Harry.

"I highly doubt that, Potter. A seeker's skills like yours don't rust that easy. It's in your blood." Cho reasoned. Harry tried to argue but she held out a finger to stop him. "No buts, Harry. I've played against you and I've seen how you love to play Quidditch. This is the perfect time to resume your passion. So, you're getting your butt up from that couch and…" She clutched Harry's hand and pulled him up from the sofa. She practically dragged him to the bathroom. "And take a quick bath. We're heading to their Quidditch Stadium in two hours. Get ready and meet me at the lobby. Two hours, Harry." She finished as she shoved him inside the bathroom and close the door in Harry's face.

As much as Harry hates it, she was right. Quidditch was his passion. It had been his dream to be a Quidditch Player before he dreamed of being an Auror. And right now, he's quite sure he's not going to be an Auror. After all, he didn't even take his NEWTS. So summing that up, he only has his Quidditch dream to pursue. Thinking that, he stripped down and took a quick bath while thinking… _It couldn't be bad. At least I get to use Hermione's gift. _But he still can't help but feel nervous.

After the allotted two hours, Cho and Harry met at the building's lobby. Harry was clutching his shiny, new Firebolt while Cho was clutching her Comet 260.

"You're trying out for seeker too?" Harry asked as he flung the firebolt carefully over his shoulder. He was wearing loose pants, sneakers and a sweater vest over his most comfortable collared shirt.

"Nope but yes." She replied with a smug smile. Harry returned it with a completely confused face. She chuckled lightly before continuing. "I mean I'm trying out too but not as seeker. I want to try for chaser this time." She was clutching her broomstick with one hand while the other was holding a pair of thick gloves. She was wearing a loose shirt but still hugged her body in the right curves. She wore denim pants and boots that looked like the boot she used to wear during a match back at Hogwarts.

"Wow. New position, eh. Good luck, Cho. Nice outfit by the way." Harry smiled as he surveyed her over all outfit. It looked like she really prepared for this. She even had gloves. Harry ducked and knocked his finger against Cho's knee. Just as expected, it produced low thuds. "And you're wearing knee pads."

"We should be careful. After all, we don't know these people. We're not playing against other houses anymore, Harry." Cho said as they reached the entrance door. She led the way outside.

"You have a point there." Harry said. They reached the outside of the building and bright sunlight met their eyes. The breeze was cold despite the cloudless sky. "How are we getting there, anyway?"

"We're apparating, of course." Cho replied before she clutched Harry's arm and swirled in their position.

The first thing that Harry saw after the dizzying travel was the green grass of the Quidditch Pitch. They apparated straight inside the Pitch itself. The place was evidently huge. It was twice the size of their pitch at Hogwarts. The bleachers were high up surrounding the wide field. And colossal banners with the Team's logo were hanging from the four highest corners of the pitch. The banner had a huge brown falcon. The falcon was clutching the golden snitch between its beaks. The team's name was scribbled in enormous golden letters: The French Falcons.

"The French Falcons? How come I've never heard of that team in Quidditch World Cup before?" Harry asked in a low whisper as they walked to the center of the field where a horde of other wizards and witches were huddled.

"They never made it to the finals last time." Cho replied. Finally, they reached the center and they fell in queue at the back. There are nearly 10 people there who are trying out.

"What other positions are unoccupied?" Harry asked curiously. They were all waiting patiently for the team captain, at least Cho and Harry were. The others just kept on turning their heads on Harry's direction and then murmur amongst themselves.

"Two chasers, a seeker and one extra beater. In case of injuries and emergencies." Cho replied. She pointed to the opposite side of the field where – Harry supposed – the quarters were. Three boys and one girl emerged from the said room, clutching one broomstick each and walked slowly to the field. The man in front was tall and lean with blonde hair and a permanent smirk. The girl beside him was tanned with black hair. She was quite gorgeous. The two men at the back were of the same height and features. Except the one on the right had blue eyes and pale complexion, the other one has green orbs and cream colored skin. The two were holding clubs apart form their broomsticks and they just reminded Harry of Fred and George.

"Greetings, wizards and witches." The guy with blonde hair greeted. He saw Harry and Cho at the back and smiled. "It appears we have foreigners trying out." Harry and Cho bushed at the comment. "Now, you may have known, we have four positions that are free. One beater, two chasers and a seeker. I am Patrick Westley Aiken, the team captain and keeper." The blonde dude said. So Harry was right. He was the team captain. "This is Nicholas and Joseph Daniels, our beaters. They are siblings. We are looking for another beater, in case of injuries involving the bludgers." Patrick pointed to the two boys at the back. "This is Irish Verne, our chaser. We are looking for two more. And then the seeker. Our seeker retired and so the post is now vacant. So now we're going to start. I am going to group you now. Good luck." Patrick said as he grouped them first according to the position they were trying out for. There were two for seeker, six for chasers and two for beaters. After that, Patrick regrouped them into two teams. Patrick was keeper for one team and then the other guy trying out for seeker position. Nicholas became one of the beaters and the other one was the other wizard trying out as beater and then two wizards and Cho trying out as chasers. The other team was composed of Irish as keeper, Harry as seeker, Joseph and the other beater and then two witches and a wizard as chasers. After that, the game begun.

Harry immediately went to the air to look for the snitch. All around him, the other players were zooming and doing their own team duties. The cold breeze felt good on Harry's skin along with the bright light that brightened the pitch even more. It gave the feeling of cheerfulness. Harry felt relaxed. He felt excited and happy as he flew around the pitch, looking for any trace of gold. After so long, he felt at home.

After quarter of an hour, the chasers were already on a roll. They were scoring goals here and there. Unfortunately, the chaser scoring the most goals was Cho from the other team. Harry was surprised to see her excellently shooting the quaffle through the goal posts. Irish was a fair keeper but not as good as Patrick. She managed to stop just two out of five goals from Cho. Harry's team's chasers were awesome but Patrick was an exceptional keeper.

After half an hour, the snitch was still nowhere to be seen. The other team's seeker was already getting bored. Cho's team already has 110 points, half of which was scored by Cho. Harry was led to believe that she was almost as good as Ginny as a chaser. Almost. Harry's team scored 80 points. Their only hope was the seeker. Just then, Harry's eyes caught a glint of gold behind one of the goal posts in the opposite side of the pitch. He zoomed his firebolt to that direction. The wild wind felt relaxing against his skin. He was reminded of the matches he used to win back at Hogwarts. And it felt awesome. He felt adrenaline rush through his veins and he leaned forward in his broom and zoomed faster. He can see it now. The snitch was in front of his face. His face was etched with a wide grin as he reached for the snitch and his fingers closed in on the gold ball.

With a shout from the captain, the match ended with 230 points to 110. Harry's team won. They all lowered themselves to the ground and landed. There were loud cheers from the winning team and murmurs of defeat from the losing team. Harry walked to Cho and congratulated her. "Congratulations, Cho. I didn't know you were a good chaser."

"I'm not only a seeker, I'm a chaser. Honestly, I tried out as chaser for the Ravenclaw team before I became seeker. It turned out I'm a better seeker than a chaser, what with all those chasers in our team who are better than me and Roger Davies was one of them. Anyway, Congratulations to you! I told you, you can do it." Cho said as she teasingly hit Harry's arm.

"You certainly did, Mr. Potter. I never knew you were a great seeker." Patrick walked slowly to them and reached out to shake Harry's hand as soon as he reached them.

"Harry never lost a single match ever since he started playing Quidditch, sir." Cho boasted with a smile. Harry nudged her gently with his elbow.

"Actually, I have lost one." Harry immediately contradicted Cho. Cho pointedly looked at him and Harry gave her a warning look. Patrick didn't miss the exchange and so he chuckled.

"You lost one? Who is this seeker who defeated the Chosen One in a Quidditch match?" Patrick inquired with a smile. "To be able to defeat one player who never even lost a match is a great deal of achievement."

"Cedric Diggory, sir." Harry answered politely. At this, Patrick perked up.

"Oh, you're co-winner in the Triwizard Cup if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes."

"He is exceptional." Cho chimed in. "The only problem most of the time was their chasers. They're not making enough points for them to win even though Cedric catches the snitch." At this, Harry agreed.

"I'm certainly looking forward to meeting Mr. Diggory in the future. But for now, Mr. Potter and errr." Patrick started and then he turned to Cho. "I believe, Harry called you Cho, am I right?" Cho nodded and then he continued. "I'm delighted to say that I will be happy if you can both join my Quidditch team. So do we have a deal?"

Harry and Cho exchanged wide grins and only had one reply – vigorous nods.

AN: There's the next chapter. Don't worry. I'll upload one more chapter today. Just wait for it, okay, guys? Okay, bye, bye for now. See you later.

Next on First and Last:

Set a few days after Chapter 26. Hermione confronts Draco about his weird behavior. Draco finds out something about Hermione. Oooooh. What could it be?

Cedric hears of the rumor about Cho and Harry and decided to ask Cho about it. What will she answer? Tune in next chapter to find out. :DD

READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!


	27. Cleared Suspicions

Disclaimer:

public class Disclaimer{

public static void main(String arguments[]){

int x=0;

if(x=0){

println("I don't own Harry Potter");

}

else{

println("JK owns HP");

}

}

}

LOL! It is official, I'm addicted to programming. Blame my college course. I'm taking up Computer Science and I'm in love with programming. LOL! Anyway, here are my replies to the reviews.

**pixies114:** How can he ever forget? Quidditch is his life. Thanks for constantly reviewing. I really, really appreciate it.

**pawsrule:** I just want these fillers over with, honestly. Because I want to know what you'll say when Harry and Hermione reconcile. I'm nervous about it, actually. That's why I just want it over with. I've imagined and planned out what will happen. But I'm not sure if it'll reach the readers' expectations. I hope I can pull it off. About Cho, I'll keep your suggestion in mind. "Forgiveness that shouldn't be acquired too easily." Got it! Thank again for reviewing. Thanks a lot!

**svn(insert 27 7's here): **Yeah. I've noticed that. You don't have a profile here but you are one of my most active and constant reviewers. To me, it means twice the effort. I really, really appreciate it. Thank you very much for your support for the fic. I really hope I don't disappoint you. That would be bad. I'll make sure that won't happen. Hey, why don't you just make your own profile in the site? Things will be much easier for you. Just a suggestion. Lastly, I make it a point to reply to the readers' reviews. That's the only way to reach out. And it helps because I get to hear suggestions and also you get to correct my mistakes. It helps. So thank you so much for always reviewing. It really inspires me. Thanks!

**miyakosaku**: I have one problem and it's been bugging me for quite a few days now. Why can't I put a dot in your name? I tried to put a dot on it the first time I posted replies inside every chapter. But all it did was unbold your name. It took me quite a lot of editing to bold it again. In the end, decided to not put the dot. I hope you won't hate me because of the dot deduction. I just can't put it. I don't know what's wrong with my text editor. I apologize for that. Sorry. About your review, thank you for sending one. And… Making Cho fall for him was the whole point why I put Ced in the story. LOL! Again, thanks for the review!

**TwiTrek: **Thank you for your kindness and for quitting the shaking. Second, you are special, all my readers and reviewers are exceptionally special. Keep that in mind. :) Third, about your question, I'll send you a private message regarding the answer. Thanks and keep reviewing and inspiring me. Thanks!

Okay let's get to the chapter now. Read on and don't forget to send me a review!

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Chapter 27:

AN: A week after the start of term and Harry's appointment as Falcon's seeker. By the way, Harry's try-out and Hermione's first day at Hogwarts is just one same day.

Hermione threw her cloak around herself and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a black button down shirt under a dark brown cardigan and her light brown cloak. She wore knee length cream skirt. Her wavy brown hair was cascading down her shoulders and she was wearing black boots. Just the typical witch attire in the wizarding world. She surveyed herself in the mirror and chuckled to herself. Only two years ago, she wasn't wearing this kind of clothing. What she was wearing two years ago was a white button-down shirt, box-pleated knee-length black skirt, dark gray sweater, scarlet and gold neck tie and the school robe with the Gryffindor House Crest in it. It had been a few days and she's getting used to the long clothing by now. But who would've thought she would wear this attire while at Hogwarts?

She gently caressed her tummy. She was three months along now. The bump was just a bit noticeable. Thanks to her long cloak, it could evade suspicious eyes for now. But only a few more months and it will surely be much more noticeable. By then, she was sure she had already thought of a way to tell the other school staff about it. But for now, the cloak will manage. With that in mind, she made her way from her office/dormitory/room down to the Great Hall where breakfast will be served.

She opened the door of the Great Hall and walked with bearing to the table. Unlike before, she wasn't going to sit in the Gryffindor table. Her position now lies on the High table with all the other staff of the school. While she was sauntering to the table, she saw that breakfast was already laid nicely on all the tables. Also, almost all of the teachers were already there. There were only a couple of seats that were unoccupied. The two seats were side-by-side between Cedric and Professor Vector. She chose to take the seat beside Cedric.

"Good morning, Hermione." Cedric greeted her with a smile. After the Triwizard Tournament, Harry and Cedric became even closer. And during the summer before sixth year, when both she and Harry had their vacation at the Burrow, Cedric was openly invited for dinners along with his father. So it was safe to say that both Hermione and Ron was also close to him now, not just Harry.

"Wonderful morning to you, Cedric." She replied with a smile. She served pie on her plate and Cedric saved her the effort of pouring a glass of pumpkin juice. She gratefully thanked him with a smile.

"You know, I'm not used to seeing you in those robes. I'm still used to the Hermione wearing plain school robes. But I gotta say, you look great on them. It suits you well." Cedric complemented. He pierced a piece of cake with his fork and ate it.

"Why, thank you, Cedric. You look great yourself, very debonair." She replied with a chuckle. "Bachelor attires like those suit you more than those school-boy uniforms."

"Oh please." Someone snorted beside Hermione. She turned her head on the other direction and found Draco Malfoy, sitting beside her. She didn't even notice him enter the hall. "As if."

"Excuse me, do we know you?" Hermione countered. She raised her eyebrow just to annoy him. Cedric laughed at her gesture.

Another snort from Draco. "Stuff it, Granger. You don't get to make good comebacks. I do, clear?" He said with a smirk.

"Okay, what did we ever do to you? Quit bothering us, Malfoy." Hermione retorted. Draco laughed.

"Hah! Whatever. Anyway, if I were you, I'll eat that pie before it eats you." He pouted towards the piece of pie currently stabbed by Hermione's fork.

"You know that your jokes aren't funny, right?" Hermione ate the pie and took a sip from her goblet. Draco, on the other hand, served himself bacon and pumpkin juice.

"Who told you that I was joking, Granger? I'm serious." He said. He cut a small piece of bacon and chewed it carefully.

Hermione was trying her best to ignore Draco and served herself a piece of toast. Cedric was leaning over to Neville, who was on his other side, borrowing a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"You don't look good, you know? You look quite thinner and paler, I must say. It's like there's something wrong about you." Draco continued as if he was just having a formal conversation with business partners, whereas the two were openly ignoring him.

Cedric fixed his chair so that it was closer to Hermione. He was already clutching a copy of the paper in his hand. Hermione still haven't replied to what Draco was saying. Draco, in contrast, was just eating casually and giving her glances as if he was waiting for proper reply. _What is the problem of this git?_ Hermione asked herself.

"As contrary to what the ferret said, you look glowing, Hermione." Cedric butt in as he lowered the paper to the table and ate another piece of his cake. He was surveying the front page of the Prophet which held rather interesting news to him. "According to what I've just recently read in a muggle magazine, there are two main reasons why a girl would seem glowing or "blooming" as they say it. That is if she was in love or pregnant." Cedric said as he finally took his eyes away from the newspaper and turned it to Hermione.

Draco, who was currently taking a sip of pumpkin juice, suddenly spattered everything that was currently occupying his mouth upon hearing what Cedric just said and stared at Hermione with upturned eyebrows.

Hermione suddenly paled at Cedric's words. The piece of pie, which was just a few inches away from her mouth, suddenly stopped midway. "W-w-what are you saying, Cedric?"

"So, Hermione, tell me. To whom are you in love with?" Cedric asked with a teasing smile. Draco was surveying Hermione and had a distant look in his eyes as if he was thinking deeply about something.

Hermione released the breath she didn't even realize she was holding. She was quite sure for a moment there that Cedric was about to ask her if she was pregnant. Boy, it was good that she was wrong. "Oh. How silly of you, Cedric. Where did you get that? I'm not in love with someone. As proof, I don't even have a boyfriend."

Unseen by Cedric and Hermione, Draco shook his head at the two. He can't believe someone like Diggory would be so clueless. To think that he was the one who mentioned about it. About Hermione, he can't believe what he just realized about her. He was quite sure he was right about what he just thought of. Everything that he surveyed about Hermione for the past week had all clicked together. He had been observing her uncommon behavior ever since he caught sight of her when she got down from the train, not yet wearing her cloak. It was obvious, actually. As soon as he saw her, he wondered why the heck her tummy looks bigger while the rest of her body looked thinner. It was not proportional for an 18 year old girl who had perfect body curves to suddenly have a bump while she didn't even get fatter. Ever since, Draco kept an eye on her. He noticed quite a lot of things, honestly….a lot of things that point out to only one conclusion. Now, everything clicked. If he was right, he's going to find out soon.

"Really, Hermione? A witch as intelligent and beautiful as you. No boyfriend? Oh, humour me." Cedric chuckled; He ate his last piece of cake and wolfed down the last contents of his goblet.

"Yeah, can you imagine that?" Hermione sarcastically said. "Anyway, what's the juiciest news today?" She changed the topic. She surveyed the newspaper that was still lying on the table between him and Cedric. The headline was flashing in big, bold letters. "FALCONS' NEW RECRUITS, TO FLY THEM TO THE CUP FINALS?"

"Quidditch, apparently. The French Falcons recruited new members after the retirement of their old seeker. It looks like the captain sacked two of his chasers who weren't good. He only left his girlfriend." Cedric counted back all that was written on the first paragraph of the article.

"French Falcons? How come I've never heard of this team before?" Hermione asked curiously as she picked the paper up from the table and read it.

"That's the whole point of it, Hermione. They haven't won many matches since eight years ago. They always loose before they even reach nationals. It was a good decision to change their team composition. I think by now, they would have a chance at it." Cedric continued. He leaned closer to Hermione in order to be able to reread the article. "Now that they have new members. Most importantly when their seeker's Harry."

Hermione's eyes drifted to the sentence about Harry at the same time Cedric said it. He was right. Harry had just been made the new seeker of the Quidditch team only a week ago. But he wasn't alone. He was appointed along with an extra beater and a couple of new chasers. One was Cho Chang. After that sentence, the article ended and a subscript was added, saying "continuation and pictures on page 4". She swiftly turned the page and found three big moving pictures. One was the extra beater who swung his bat and hit a bludgers full force. Another was a picture of Cho and another chaser who were passing the quaffle alternately to each other. The last and biggest was of Harry reaching his hand out and finally clutching the gold ball in his fingers. A list of all the team players was included below the pictures.

_**Aiken, Patrick Westley**__ – Quidditch Captain and Keeper_

_**Daniels, Nicholas**__ – Beater _

_**Daniels, Joseph**__ – Beater_

_**Abella, Jayson **__**Maverick**__ – Beater (Substitute)_

_**Chang, Cho**__ – Chaser_

_**Verne, Irish**__ – Chaser_

_**Centillas, Ayihsa**__ – Chaser_

_**Potter, Harry**__ – Seeker_

Hermione smiled. Even though this stated the fact that Harry wouldn't be coming back in a long time, at least he's got a part of her with him, alongside him as he reaches another dream of his. How happy she was that she sent him a firebolt for his birthday. At least, as he zooms around the pitch and follows the snitch, something from her would be with him. She just hoped that every time he clutches the handle of the broom and trusts it with his life; he'll remember that it was from her.

"Harry, huh? I think they might really have a chance now. I can remember only two instances that Gryffindor lost a Quidditch match. It was when you played against him. And the other was when he wasn't able to play when he was at the Hospital Wing. Ravenclaw won, with Cho being the seeker. And now she's also on the team. They have a huge chance, I say." Hermione said. She put the newspaper back at the table, not even throwing a glance at the article on the other page that really deserves her attention. The said article was written by a certain writer whom she had hated ever since her fourth year. But Cedric didn't ignore the article. He picked it up again and read it. Actually, it was more like he glared at it.

Hermione continued eating and eventually continued her discussion with Cedric after the latter finished reading the paper. But it was evident that Cedric wasn't as cheerful as before. Hermione just shook it off. But it was a fact that neither Cedric nor Hermione realized that Draco didn't say a single comment after the spatter incident as if he was thinking deeply to himself, which he was.

After breakfast, Hermione went to her first class. After that, her second and then it went on just like how it was for the past week. Nothing special happened until her last subject before lunch break. On the way to her last class, she passed by Draco Malfoy. He was standing outside a classroom door. Normally, she would just ignore his awful presence and just storm pass him. But as she was about to do it, she caught him staring at her intently. It annoyed her so much. He had been doing that for the past week and she did not like it. Gathering all he courage, she walked faster towards him.

Draco realized that Hermione was making her way towards him. Her eyes were set with determination. And so he did what was natural. He started to walk away from his past spot. He stretched his strides but she still made it in front of him.

"Draco Ferret Malfoy, why do you keep staring at me? It had been a week and all you do every time I pass by you is stare at me. What is your frigging problem?" Hermione bellowed. She was already standing in front of him and blocking his path.

"Why would I stare at you?" Draco replied calmly. His eyes were blank and his overall expression looked like he was bored and it annoyed the hell out of Hermione.

"If I knew, would I ask you?" She retorted. He already passed the line and she'd had enough.

"Look, Granger. I don't know what your problem is, but I think you're overacting. Actually, you're dong that quite a lot since we came here. It's like your having your mood swings, you know." Draco looked at her meaningfully as if he was trying to extract something from her. "I can't see a reason why you're so moody, Granger. You weren't this infuriated a while ago. But now you're shouting at me. I wonder why… If I didn't know you, I'd say you're having that time of the month or worse, you're acting like a moody preggy woman. But then again, I don't really know you that much, do I?" He gave another look and then waited for her retort but nothing came. He snorted before saying. "Now, would you get out of my way? You're making me late for my next class."

Hermione let him pass without another word. Her mouth was slightly hanging open after hearing what Draco just said. It hit her like a bullet. _If I didn't know you, I'd say you're having that time of the month or worse you're acting like a moody preggy woman._ It kept echoing in her mind as she speechlessly made her way to her last lesson before lunch.

Lunch came and she found out that Draco wouldn't be there. He had to be somewhere to do something important, according to Flitwick. To say that she was relieved was an understatement. It was luck that he wasn't there, for Hermione still didn't know how to face him. His last words could only mean one thing; he knew about it. Out of all the staff that could learn about it first, it was Draco. That was a bad sign.

Hermione spent lunch eating moodily and pondering carefully about what she should do next time they meet. Should she confront him and ask him if he knew? Or should she ignore it and just act like she didn't know what he was pertaining to. But then again, that wouldn't work, would it? After a couple of months, her tummy would be very much noticeable. What should she do?

Lunch break came and passed. She attended her afternoon classes, still thinking about the right thing to do. But all her classes ended that day and she still hadn't thought of something. Dinner came. She was lucky during lunch but she should've known that her luck was just for one time. Why? Well, she went to the Great Hall for dinner and found almost every staff already sitting at the High table. All seats were taken except for the same seat she occupied during breakfast and the seat occupied by Cedric. She went to sit at the same seat she occupied during breakfast. To her dismay, Draco arrived a few minutes after her and much more to her dismay, he sat beside her as if teasing and annoying her.

Because she didn't know what the right thing to do was, she kept her mouth shut and ate silently. Even though Draco still kept glancing at her, she ignored it. But still, she found it annoying. It was like he was testing her if she would give in again. But she ignored it all and she left as soon as she finished her dinner.

She went silently out the front door and walked alone down to Hagrid's hut. Unlike before, she was now allowed to walk around the castle and outside - as long as it's still within the boundary – even though it was late at night. She found her way easily. She was not planning on visiting Hagrid. Because Hagrid was still having dinner. She just merely wanted to roam around the castle, maybe to clear her mind of certain things that were bothering her. And Hagrid's hut could surely do the trick. It holds a lot of memories that could really give her some comfort. She went to the back of the hut and sat at the stairs, where the Golden Trio used to sit and relax whenever they were waiting for Hagrid.

She closed her eyes and let all the memories flood her consciousness. She remembered the times back on first year when they were caught sneaking out of the castle late at night and they have to spend detention at the forbidden forest. Back on second year when they went straight to Hagrid's after Ron's spell backfired. On third year when she and Harry used the time turner and went back in time to save Buckbeak and Sirius. Back on fourth year when they roamed the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid after the second task. On fifth year when they first met Grawp. On sixth year when they visited Hagrid after Aragog's death. And all the other times they visited him and ate his rock cakes and drank tea with the half-giant. Without noticing it, she smiled to herself. But the sound of someone clearing his throat caught her attention. She turned her head and saw Malfoy leaning at the wall and surveying her.

She sighed and stood up. As she was going down the steps, she failed to notice the wet puddle on the lowest stair and she almost slipped, good thing she managed to hold on to the barrel beside the stairs. But what mostly surprised her was that Draco was instantly beside her, arms outstretched as if he was trying to save her if ever she really fell. She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

Draco was also surprised. He didn't know what ushered him to do it. It must have been his reflex action. And the knowledge that it's not good for her if ever she slipped and fell. He looked back at her raised eyebrow and snorted. "What are you even doing here alone, Granger?"

Hermione can't find her voice. She still didn't know how to face him. So she just shrugged her shoulders. She walked carefully back to the castle. After a few strides, Draco called out to her.

"Oi, Granger!" Draco called out and reached inside his pockets. He retrieved a piece of apple and tossed it to her. Hermione caught it with both her hands. "Don't go wandering around the castle alone especially at night. Don't be a fool. You should know better, shouldn't you? Considering your…err…situation."

Hermione gave him a curt nod. She turned around and continued her walk to the castle with one sure thought in mind. It was for sure now. Draco knew about it. Until she reached the oak doors, she was also sure that Draco followed her and watched her from a distance.

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Cedric stood up from his seat and went outside the Three Broomsticks. It was nearly dinner now and he told the Headmistress that he wouldn't be joining them for dinner. It was a good thing that she allowed him even though it was already late at night. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself and he clutched his wand tighter. He turned in his spot and he was engulfed by twisting darkness.

At the moment he opened his eyes, he found himself outside a building. He entered it and went to the receptionist's desk. He talked to the witch for a few moments and then turned again on his spot. Again, the twisting darkness. After that, he found himself in front of a very familiar door. He rang the doorbell and was greeted by the smiling Cho Chang.

"I thought you weren't coming. It had been a week, huh?" She said as she opened the door wider and permitted him entrance. "You know, you could have used your wand. You shouldn't have rung the doorbell anymore."

"I know. I just thought it would be impolite. After all, you said you weren't expecting me." Cedric said with a serious expression. He hung his cloak on the hanger near the door and flopped down on the sofa after. Cho sat down beside him.

"What's wrong?" She asked with concern. He looked back at her intently before reaching inside his pocket. He retrieved a reduced piece of paper and then he enlarged it. It was a copy of the day's prophet.

"Tell me, you've tried out for a Quidditch Team?" He raised the paper. The page where a picture of her was in front.

Cho's expression changed. It changed from concern to surprise and then to apologetic. "Well, yes. Are you angry? I'm sorry if I didn't tell you. I know you wanted a Quidditch career too. But… I'm sorry."

Cedric sighed. Actually, it wasn't about the Quidditch thing. Actually it was about the article on the other page. But what the heck, he'll just ride with it. "I get it, Cho. I can't blame you, really. Who wouldn't want a career at Quidditch? But I just wish you should've told me. And what's this article?" He bellowed. He showed her the article on the other page that read "Potter, the boy wonder, dating his co-Quidditch player?"

Cho's eyes widened as she saw the headline and the first lines. She snatched the paper from Cedric and read the rest of the article. Apparently, she still hadn't read the day's issue of the Prophet.

_Potter, the boy wonder, who recently joined a certain Quidditch team, was spotted roaming the streets of France with non other than his girlfriend and teammate, Cho Chang. If we go back in our previous issues, we'd know that their relationship was reported back in Harry's fifth year. Now, we know that their icky relationship continued and hear this: They were also spotted entering the same building. According to our sources, both of them lived in that building and rented the same flat. What could this mean our dear readers? I think you know. Looks like eloping is included in the Chosen One's dictionary._

The article ended there. Cho was left staring at the ruddy article. Cedric, on the other hand, snatched the paper from her.

"I know all she says is rubbish. Elope, definitely not. But still, you didn't tell me you two were back together." Cedric said sadly He tried his best to hide the hurt in his eyes.

"Cause we're not." Cho replied simply. She knows she should be happy. At least even if it's just the papers, still, in the public's eyes, she and Harry were together and happier than ever. But having Cedric in front of her and seeing his face, she felt like she shouldn't be happy about the issue. She felt like she should make him feel better and she can't find herself feeling happy with Harry. Why? She didn't know. "We're still not back together. If we were, I would've told you."

"Honestly?" Cedric asked hesitantly.

Cho nodded. "Of course." But at that moment, she raked her mind for any sign of attraction for Harry. She found one. She thought that she still isn't ready to just let him go. Pride was still involved in it. But when she raked her heart, it was a puzzle to her why she didn't found anything. It felt strange that at that exact moment, she felt complete as she gazed at Cedric's currently smiling face.

* * *

AN: There it is! Wow! I merged two chapters in this one! LOL! I hope you like it, guys. Please send me a review and tell me what you think. Remember, 68th reviewer! )

REVIEW PLEASE!


	28. The Knight in Emerald and Silver Armour

Disclaimer: I do not own HP. That's the whole point of the disclaimer.

AN: Errrm, I think I'll be speeding up the time of Hermione's pregnancy. I think I won't dwell in it too much. So by now, I will ask a huge favor from you guys. I know you're generous and I need a little help. I need a name for Hermione's baby. I don't really have a preference. It can be a boy or a girl. And about the characteristics, it's up to you. But please make sure that there's something about the baby's appearance that can remind Hermione of Harry but it shouldn't be obvious that the baby's Harry's. Why, you ask? Well, it's for me to know and for you to find out. LOL! So please kindly fill up this form.

Gender:

Name: (Full name, please keep in mind to not make it too obvious that it's Harry's baby.)

Hair Color:

Hair characteristic: (Untidy or bushy or curly, it's up to you.)

Skin color:

Eye color:

I think that's about it. The one that'll be chosen will, obviously, be used in the story. Thanks in advance and I really hope you will help. I know I don't have so many reviewers but still I hope that many of you will help me. Thanks.

**pixies114:** You love Cedric? Well, who doesn't? He's just so adorable, isn't he?

**pawsrule**: Thanks for the review, mate! You're always one of the first reviewers, and one of my most active readers. Thanks a lot!

**miyakosaku: **About Draco and Hermione, you won't be disappointed. Thanks!

**proudtobeatheatrekid: **Thanks! Yay, you're back! Yeah, Cho will make up her mind…pretty soon… thanks a lot!

Chapter 28:

Draco Malfoy was climbing the stairs up the Astronomy Tower silently. It was nearly midnight and he can't sleep. That had been his problem for almost every night since the war. He thought he might have developed insomnia already. All those scared and terrified faces of all those kids who were trying to flee that night, the blank and lifeless faces of all the corpse lying in the Great Hall and all the grieving faces of all those who were abandoned by the unmoving, dead bodies, all of it haunted him.

He might not have told anybody about it but every time he flicks the light off in his room, he can see their faces floating in front of him, haunting him. And every time he closed his eyes, the memory just plays back again and again. He hated how it scared him. He hated how it made him weak and how it gave him shivers. But of all of the things he hated, the most the he hate was the fact that it made him feel guilty.

It was his fault, to begin with. He blamed himself for everything that happened a year ago. If it wasn't because of him, Albus Dumbledore wouldn't be dead. That's what he thought. He wanted to save his mother from the clutches of Voldemort. Because of the failure of his father, Voldemort threatened both his and his mother's life. The Dark Lord said that he has to kill the Headmaster. If he wasn't able to, he will kill not only him, but also his mother. He agreed, thinking about his mother's life. He can accept death but he won't allow his mother, who was only a victim to all these Dark things going on with their family, die. She shouldn't be involved with all these cruel things because she wasn't evil, in the first place. But if he succeeded, he will be looked upon by the other Death Eaters, that's what the Dark Lord told him.

During the first months of his mission, he thought about the reward he'll get if he succeeded. Letting his jealousy towards Harry Potter cloud his very being. He thought that he was the Chosen One of the dark side. He was their Harry Potter. And if he succeeds, he will achieve power, not to mention he will be able to save his mother.

But as he stood there in the Astronomy Tower, in front of Albus Dumbledore, he realized he really can't do it.

Yes, he had been a git since his childhood. He grew up thinking that power was the most important thing. He grew up with his father dictating to him that it is only natural to pull other people down in order to rise up. And that's what he did all his life. He insulted people and pulled him down so that they will cower in fear just because of his presence. But standing there in front of the man who never did anything bad to him, he realized, he wasn't ready to put an end to a life. He pulled other people down so that he can stand on their kneeling bodies just to be taller and higher than others. But he realized, he didn't want to stand in other people's corpse just be above others.

That is what pushed him to lower his wand that night and refuse to kill the old man. But still, Snape killed him. Snape killed him because of a rotten unbreakable vow. An unbreakable vow that his mother did with Snape just to be able to protect him. If it wasn't because of him, the vow wouldn't be made. If it wasn't because of the vow, Dumbledore would have still lived. If Dumbledore had lived, would all those people die? He thought not. Dumbledore would have been able to protect most of them. Things would have ended without so many lives wasted. Not to mention that he was the reason how the Death Eaters were able to attack the castle. So it all came down to one. It was his entire fault.

Draco was so absorbed with his thoughts that he didn't even realize that the tower was occupied. He was already on the last steps when he heard two voices coming from the top of the tower. One was familiar and the other was unknown. Both voices were high pitched and it was obvious that they were fighting. Draco went down a few steps and decided to eavesdrop. That was a part of him that still didn't change along with being teasingly annoying and giving good comebacks that seem to irritate others.

"Looks like you'll get a dose of your own medicine, Granger." One of the voices said. Draco didn't know where he heard that voice but he really felt like he knew that voice from somewhere.

"Why are you here? You're not supposed to be here, Rita Skeeter." A trembling voice asked. Draco recognized the voice to be Hermione Granger's. So Rita Skeeter, he wasn't wrong. He did hear it before.

"Well, aren't used to it yet? After all, you're the one who first knew about my secret technique on how I get juicy news." Rita said in her famous intimidating voice.

"What do you want?"

"Well, I was just roaming around the castle and looking for something that I can start a rumor about. And lucky me, I found you here, talking to yourself." The reporter started. She cackled annoyingly and then continued. "I can see the headline now. 'Famous witch, Hermione Granger, a real nerdy or a complete slut?' I mean, pregnant without a husband, or even a boyfriend. Now that's something, dear. I never really thought of you as hot but look at you. You managed to have someone knock you up. I gotta give you credit for that."

"If you do that I'll hex you." Hermione threatened. But if you take her voice into account, you'd say that it was her voice that was trembling.

"Again, that threat? Don't you have something else to threaten me with? If you hex me, after I recover, I'm still gonna post that story and I'm telling you, if you do that, it'll get even worse. So just sit back and relax, sweetie, while I publish this story." Rita offered. Draco expected Hermione to retort back but it seemed that she'd lost her voice.

"Look at what we have here." Draco drawled as he emerged from the stairs and walked towards the two ladies, hands in his front pockets. "What's going on?"

"Oh Draco, dear. You're just in time. I found the next juicy news. Thanks to Ms. Granger here." Skeeter said, her smirk widening after seeing Draco.

"Well, I don't care. You're not publishing it." Draco's face was stony and fixed.

"Wait, what? I think I didn't hear you well." Skeeter was taken aback. After all she thought Draco would be delighted to know that she found another way to torture the said mudbloood.

"No. You heard me well, Skeeter. You're not publishing that ridiculous story." Draco threw a quick glance at Hermione to see why she's not reacting. She was just looking at him with surprise etched in her beautiful face.

"Ridiculous? It's the news of the year. The Queen of the Golden Trio who stopped the Dark Lord, knocked up. It would be mania, Draco. I'm telling you." Skeeter argued. She was persistent in convincing Draco.

"And I'm telling you, no. You're just a pathetic disgrace to the paper." Draco said. He said it with such power that even Hermione winced.

But Skeeter's face changed. From being confused, it turned to determination. "Why do I have to listen to you? I can publish this story whenever I want and you can't do anything about it, you pathetic Death Eater. If I'm a disgrace, then you're worse." Skeeter said. She pocketed her notebook and quill and then turned to the stairs, ready to leave.

Draco's demeanor darkened. His look dimmed even more and became more fixed and stony. "Publish it and you'll go down." He threatened. His voice was dripping with poison. It was so cold and vicious that it gave Hermione goosebumps.

"What do you mean?" Rita turned around and faced Draco.

Draco smirked viciously. "My father's in Azkaban. My mother's dead. I'm their heir, which means the Malfoy Fortune is all mine. And most importantly, all business transactions that my father left, will be handle by me." Draco pulled his hands away from his pockets and crossed it in his chest. "Have you forgotten, Skeeter? The Malfoy fortune is responsible for all your luxuries since ten years ago. We funded your column not only in the Daily Prophet but also in other newspapers and magazines. We funded your trips around the world in order for you to get scandalous news. And we didn't take even half your salary in all those ten years. The only condition was that you write about anybody who we would want you to write about and you will not write something nasty about the people we don't want you to write about. We had a magical contract to prove that, Skeeter."

Rita gulped and paled. It made Draco's inner smile widen, so he continued. "Publish it, you know what'll happen. I can always file a case. Yes, I was Death Eater but I'm carrying the Malfoy name, one of the most ancient bloodline in all of the Wizarding World. I file a case; you'll lose your job. And more importantly, you will have to pay half of your salary for the past ten years for breaking the contract. I don't like how you're using my money for rubbish. I'll want you paying for everything." Draco gave her a loathing look from her head to her toes. "But something tells me that due to your, err, travel plans for the past two years, going on vacation in the muggle world just to evade the war in our world, it tells me that you can't pay even a quarter of your salary for the past decade. But no worries, if you don't want to pay, Azkaban will do the trick."

By the time Draco finished, Rita was already sweating beads. She gulped and then said in a squeak. "Fine. I won't publish it." Then she turned to the stairs once more.

"Oh yeah, one more thing. Don't even think about passing this information to your co-columnists. You are the only one who knows about this. You're the only one foolish enough to sneak inside the castle. I don't want to hear or read about this matter in any way, whether it's the paper, magazine or any other way. If ever I encounter news about Granger regarding this matter, even though it's written by other writers, you'll be the one responsible for it. You'll be the one paying the consequences." Draco finished. Skeeter can only give a nod and then she shakily transformed back into a beetle and then vanished in the darkness.

"So, you DO know." Hermione said in a low voice. She was now on a cross-sitting position on the floor and leaning against the wall.

Draco sighed slowly and walked towards her. He sat next to her and leaned his head against the cold stone wall. He folded his knees and brought it close to his chest. With his hands over his knees, he closed his eyes. "Yes. I do."

"Since when?"

"Since the first week."

"How?"

Draco snorted. _Looks like this would turn into an interrogation session_. He thought. "Well, it first bumped my mind when I first saw you going down from the train without your cloak on." Draco explained while his eyes were still closed. "I noticed the bump. It's not proportional to your body. You didn't get fat, that much was obvious because of your palpable curves. I found it weird that your stomach is rounder. I kept a close watch on you after that and after a week, everything clicked. That morning when you, I and Diggory were conversing during breakfast, he mentioned it. It was then that everything I noticed over the week clicked together."

"Oh. I see."

"Can't you just thank me and get it over with?" Draco suddenly said. He opened his eyes and glanced at Hermione.

Hermione looked back at him with wonder in her eyes. "But why are you helping me?" Finally, she got it out. She had wanted to ask him that certain question ever since that night when he found her outside Hagrid's hut. She found it weird that he was helping her. The git Draco Malfoy, helping Hermione Granger, the one he considered as a mudbloood. Yes, he had changed, he was not insulting anymore but still, she found it ridiculous.

Draco sighed. _She still wouldn't quit the questions, eh?_ He thought. "Let's just say that I'm also doing myself a favor whenever I'm helping you." Draco answered. The truth was… He was helping her because that was the only way his mind can be put into comfort. With all those nightmares bothering him every night, the guilt wrapping his whole being, helping somebody eases everything bit by bit. And Granger needed help at the moment. And she's too humble to drive him away.

"I still don't understand why. You've changed. Even though you're still annoying, I think that bit would never change no matter what, but you're not as immature as before. And now you're helping me. I don't get why. But what you did tonight, it means a lot. I never thought I'd say these words to you but… Thank you…Draco." Hermione said and then she gave him one warm smile.

Draco stood up from his position and went to the stairs. Then he turned around and said. "You're welcome…Hermy-one." Then he laughed. "I think you should plan how you'd tell the others. It's better to do it soon." Then he gave her a sincere smile. Smiling every once in a while wouldn't hurt him, right? He went down the stairs and waved his pale hand without turning around. His last sentences echoed through the cold walls of the tower. "Goodnight, Hermione." At last, he's sure he'll have a nightmare-free sleep.

Hermione smiled at the retreating figure, his last two sentences not only echoing through the walls, but also reverberating repeatedly in her mind.

AN: There it is. I don't know how I did with Malfoy. I just hope he's not OOC. Please send me feedback and please help me think of a name for Hermione's baby. Thanks!

REVIEW PLEASE!


	29. Proposals, Secrets and Dinner Kisses

Disclaimer: There's not a chance that I'll ever own HP.

AN: Hey there. So, I already told you that I'll speed up Hermione's pregnancy so here it is. This happens six months after the last chapter. Read and Review Please!

**narnia365:** Thanks for that suggestion of yours. It really, really helps. Thanks a lot!

**svn7777777:** Whew! Thanks a lot for cutting it short. LOL! Thank you for that wonderful review. Your review really made me grin. And I'm also looking forward to the reconciliation, just like you. It's good that you like this Draco. Also, this won't be the last you'll hear of Skeeter's bloody rumors. Thanks a lot!

**pawsrule:** I'm glad that you liked it. Thanks!

**TwiTrek:** LOL! Cedric is yet to realize that. But we all know Cedric; he's a Hufflepuff so I think you can guess on what he'll do if he finds out about Cho's evil deeds. Don't forget about what I mentioned in my private message. I really hope you can do something about it. Please make the name connected to Harry in a way. Thanks!

**saphirablue25:** Of course. Harry will find out about Cho's deeds and his baby. I know things won't make so much sense right now. But I promise everything will click into place during the last chapters of this story. Also, thanks for the suggestion. I'll do something about it. Thanks!

**mistdapple: **This is your first time to send a review, eh? Thanks for sending that suggestion and thanks for the complement. Lastly, I was wondering about the skin color you said. Light peach? Is that supposed to be dark cream or something?

**Nobody: **Thanks for the suggestion but I don't think that Draco or Cedric is a proper name for the baby. It might ignite questions as to why the baby gets to be named after those two. I apologize. But still, thanks for the suggestion.

**proudtobeatheatrekid: **Wow! That's a long review. And I love it! Too bad you're having internet problems. I hope it'll be fixed soon. AVPS is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to the Potter Fandom, that's for sure. About the Malfoys sponsoring Skeeter, that idea struck me last week. I was thinking of something that Draco can threaten Skeeter with and then I thought… why not have them sponsor Skeeter. It's something that the Malfoys might do as long as they can also get something from it. Well, I don't know if I'll call Draco…chivalrous. But yeah, he's not a git anymore. Just sort of. LOL! I hope you can review this chapter. Thanks so much. And as a treat…Here's a virtual jar of candies for you. LOL!

**pixies114: **Many people also suggested that. I guess we just love Harry's emerald eyes, eh? Thanks for the review!

* * *

One more thing:

About the baby's name and characteristics… There are quite a few readers who suggested something about this matter. And to be fair…I decided to combine all their ideas and I came up with this…

**Gender: Boy** (**saphirablue25** suggested it to be a boy. Because she thinks that 9 out of 10 stories here make Harry and Hermione's baby a girl. I think she has a point. So let's make it a boy.)

**Name: Aiden **_[little fire]_ (As suggested by **narnia365**. He's one of the reviewers who suggested a name complete with meaning. But it was a girl's name. I had him translate it into a boy's name so he came up with that.) About the second name, **TwiTrek** also suggested a name with a meaning. It's supposed to be _Isadora [a gift of Isis]_ but that's a girl's name so I'm still waiting for her/him to give another boy name. Let's wait for it. Although if **TwiTrek** won't be able to give one, I think I'll go for **Hartley**, which means _**STAG**_ and it sounds close to **Harry**. But I'll still wait for **TwiTrek**. The last name will still be **Granger**. But it'll be **Potter** later on, of course.

**Hair: Untidy Brown** (from **proudtobeatheatrekid.** A combination of Harry's untidy black and Hermione's bushy brown.)

**Eye and skin color: Green and light peach.** (Suggested by **mistdapple**)

* * *

So that's it. Any violent reactions? I hope there aren't any. Okay read on!

* * *

Chapter 29:

The blinding bright light pierced Harry's eyes as he went out the front door of the building. Cho was standing beside him. He nodded at her once and then they both turned on their spot and disappeared with a pop.

Harry and Cho found themselves inside the quarters of the French Falcons Quidditch Team after apparating. When the pop signaled their arrival, their other teammates turned their heads in their direction.

"Finally! What took you guys so long?" Patrick, the team captain, asked them. He was wearing comfortable slacks and a striped polo over a black shirt.

"Sorry. We just finished breakfast." Harry apologized. Being the gentleman that he was, he ushered Cho to lead the way to their seats. The two of them sat beside each other on the last bench.

Patrick stood up from his seat beside his girlfriend and faced everyone. "Okay, since everyone's already here, I'll start talking. Now, remember, this would be our last practice before our match with the Ballycastle Bats. That would be our first match with Harry as our new seeker and Cho and Yihsa as our chasers. Now, during this practice, I want everyone to give their best shots." The captain started his pep talk. "Later, our visitors will arrive. We'll have a practice match against the Appleby Arrows. They will face The Caerphilly Cheetahs right after our match with The Bats."

"Well, good luck to them." Nick suddenly said. The others threw him confused looks. He rolled his eyes and then he instructed "Hey Harry, say CheateRs. Ayihsa, say Cheetahs." He instructed them. Not knowing what Nick was on about, the two just followed.

"Cheaters" Harry recited in his perfect British tongue.

"Cheetahs." Yihsa delivered in her perfect American accent.

"Yep. Sounds exactly British for cheaters to me." Nick said right after the two said cheaters and cheetahs at the same time. The other cackled with laughter as soon as they realized his joke.

"I didn't realize that. Well, good luck to them, indeed." Harry said in between chuckles.

Patrick wiped his teary eyes and then held out his hands to silence his teammates. "Well, it's not illegal to joke about them as long as they don't hear it. I hope you guys won't take the practice match later as a joke. I want you all to be serious about it. We have to show the other teams what we're now capable of." The captain's face went serious so the whole team listened carefully. "For the past eight years, the Falcons haven't shown a remarkable win. Our reputation have been dirtied and rusted. Actually, we were the ones called cheaters because of the old motto 'Let us win, but if we can't win. Let us break a few heads.' But that was during the time of the old Falcons. Now with all of you, I want to start anew and revive our status. Let's raise our standing in the Cup. We'll win this thing. Are you all with me?"

"Yeah!" The Falcons answered their captain. Harry looked around and saw determination etched in all of their faces. He smiled to himself. He can already feel adrenaline rushing through his veins. It felt extremely good.

"Okay, now hit the dressing rooms. Put on your uniforms and meet me at the Pitch. We'll wait for The Arrows there." Instructed the captain as they all stood up and went to the dressing rooms to put on their uniforms.

After a quarter of an hour, Harry emerged from the dressing room. His shiny firebolt was slung over his shoulder. He was wearing his dark grey and white Quidditch uniform complete with the Falcon head emblem on his chest. As he went out to the Pitch, he saw his other teammates already wearing their own uniforms and clutching their broomsticks. Ayihsa, Nick, Joseph, Maverick, Patrick and Cho were already there, just outside the door leading from the quarters to the Pitch.

"Hey, Harry. Can I talk you for a sec?" Patrick said as he walked to Harry's side. He looked nervous and tensed. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder and Harry swore he was shaking.

"What's wrong with you? Are you nervous about the match?" Harry asked with his eyebrows raised. Nick and Joe, who were currently leaning against the wall surrounding the pitch, roared with laughter. While Maverick, who was casually standing with his hands on his pockets, smiled and shook his head gently.

"No. Actually, it's not about the match." Patrick explained after shooting death glares to the Daniels brothers. "Look, I'm planning to p-p-p…"

"To what?" Harry asked curiously.

"To p-propose to Irish."

"Whoa! Seriously? Propose marriage?" Harry asked incredulously. His eyes were wide with shock and excitement.

"Yeah. I'm kinda nervous about it. I'm planning to do it tonight. And I was thinking of asking you what to do." Patrick pointed to the other boys. "These guys aren't helping. They just kept laughing at me and saying that we should just elope."

"Frankly, I don't have any idea why you thought that I can share some wisdom to you about this matter. Do you think I'm already married?" Harry shook his head gently. He looked at the guy's face and he nearly laughed. Patrick was sweating beads and the determined look that he held only a quarter of an hour earlier while he talked to them was long gone. Harry looked at the others, searching for the girl in question. "Where is she, anyway?"

Patrick glanced at Ayihsa and spoke. "Errrm. I told Yihsa to keep her busy so that I can ask you about this matter. What exactly did you do, Yihsa?"

"Well, I hid her shoes." Yihsa answered. "Wait, I'll check her out. Just do what you gotta do immediately, okay?" Then she stormed back into the girl's dressing room after winking at Patrick and Harry.

"Please help me, Harry." Patrick pleaded. His puppy dog eyes staring at Harry's emerald ones.

"Okay, what have you planned so far?" Harry asked.

"Well, I was planning on inviting her to dinner tonight. I've already booked a reservation in a restaurant near her flat. Everything's set. The only problem is…I-I don't know what I'll say." Patrick said hesitantly.

"Talk about nervous, mate! Your voice is shaking. You should know what you'll say, you know? It's quite easy. Just say what you want her to know." Harry explained slowly.

"I just don't know how to start." Patrick defended himself.

Harry smiled at him and then turned to Cho. "Okay, I'll take pity on you and so I'll help." He motioned Cho to walk to him.

Cho raised an eyebrow at him and then looked around. She pointed her finger at herself and then mouthed "Me?"

Harry chuckled. "Yes, Cho. You." Harry said as he didn't wait for Cho anymore. He walked towards her instead. "Patrick, do you have the ring?" He asked Patrick.

Patrick fished a velvet box from his pants' pocket and then handed it to Harry. "There it is."

Harry opened the box and surveyed the ring. As expected from a rich Quidditch player, the ring was not just a ring. It was obvious that it was expensive. The band was golden and it had a ruby. The ruby was not too big. Its size was a quarter of a fingernail. But around the ruby were small glittering diamonds. "Wow. Cool, ring, Pat." Harry closed the box's lid and turned to Patrick. "Now, first thing that you should check before leaving the house is the ring. Make sure that the ring is safely tucked in your pocket. You don't want to kneel down and then suddenly realize you've forgotten the ring, you know? That's a disaster." Harry explained and then tucked the box inside his pocket and showed Patrick. "Then, when you're about to propose, you kneel down, of course. That is the general idea." Harry took Cho's hands in his and stared directly in her eyes. "Just do this, okay Patrick? Do this but don't copy what I'll say. Just say what you want to say to her."

Patrick nodded and watched intently. The other boys sauntered closer to the two Brits and kept silent. Although, they still have their goofy grins plastered in their faces.

Harry took a deep breath and then recited the words. "I've been meaning to tell you this ever since a long time ago. The first time I saw you, I knew you wouldn't just be a simple witch like everyone else in my life. In you, I found someone I can trust and I can confide in. Through the years, we became friends and I just felt invincible when you're with me. You've always been there to guide me and tell me what to do. Honestly, back when we were kids, I really saw you as someone who's bossy and proud but the truth is, I don't know what I'll do without you." Harry paused. Cho gasped.

The moment Harry clutched Cho's hand, her breathing hitched. He was staring intently into her eyes that she felt like melting into them. But what caused her to gasp was not Harry's emerald eyes. But the hazel orbs of another wizard. In front of her eyes, she watched Harry's face morph into another person's. As Harry recited the lines 'I don't know what I'll do without you', it wasn't Harry's face that was in level with hers anymore. It was Cedric's.

"I didn't know when I fell for you." Harry continued. His voice was trembling as if the words were just begging to come out of his mouth. His brows were crunched in extreme concentration as he gazed at the witch in front him. But just like Cho, he was also under a trance. It wasn't Cho's face he was seeing. It was the face of the witch whom he'd wanted to recite those exact words to for as long as he could remember. "I didn't know if it was at the same moment you barged in on my train compartment and proudly pointed your wand at me or the time when you first hugged and comforted me. I didn't know when. All I know is that I am madly in love with you." Harry finished. He touched his pocket and fished out the velvet box from the inside. He kneeled slowly in front of her and then looked again into her eyes.

Cho gasped again as 'Cedric' kneeled down in front of her. Around the two of them, the others' grins were gone. They were all watching with fascination in their eyes as they gazed at the expressive faces of the two Brits.

Harry opened the box and revealed the ring.

Cho didn't even pay the ring any attention. She was busy staring at the hazel eyes of the brown-haired guy kneeling in front of her.

"Will you do me the honor of marrying me…Hermione?" _Oh my wizard god! I slipped out!_

"Yes… Cedric." _Oh my wizard god! I'm not supposed to say that!_

Harry's reverie was broken when he saw a bright flash at the corner of his eyes. The flash came from one of the stands. He whipped his face immediately at the direction but he did not see anything.

"Wait, who the heck is Huhmynie? And who's Cedric? Are you guys, nuts?" Joe, who was the farthest from the two, asked. Harry stood up from his kneeling position but still didn't take his eyes off from the stands. He could swear he saw something move just then. Cho, on the other hand, blushed.

"Nothing, just…nothing." Cho stammered.

"Hey, guys, did you see a flash from one of the stands?" Harry asked as he gave up trying to see who the heck flashed on them. He surveyed his companions with a doubtful look.

"I didn't notice anything." Patrick said as he threw a short glance at the stands. He smiled at Harry and then patted his back. "That was great, man! Thanks! I'll keep that in mind later."

"What will you keep in mind?" Irish's voice sounded from the dressing room. She emerged with Ayihsa just beside her. Out of surprise and panic, Harry shoved the velvet box into the pocket of Patrick's uniform. "What's that you got there?" Irish asked, her eyes trained on her boyfriend's pocket.

"Oh, n-nothing." Patrick stuttered. Just then, their expected practice mates arrived and emerged from the door on the other side of the Pitch. Patrick sighed with relief as he walked towards their visitors and welcomed them.

After a few minutes of preparation, their practice match started. It was safe to say that Harry's mind was still full of wonder and question. _What the heck was that flash? Who the heck was there at the stands?_ Not to mention that Hermione's face also clouded his mind. With that currently happening to Harry, you'd think that his lack of concentration would cause them the game. But think again. Never in his life had Harry lost a match, except when he's ill and there were Dementors involved. But he's not ill and there weren't any Dementors. So it's sure that you already know what happened to the match.

Cho, on the other hand, set her own thoughts aside and focused on the game. But occasionally, a certain Hufflepuff's voice and face will swim into her consciousness. It was a good thing that she didn't fall off her broom just because of thinking about the man's handsome face…

* * *

Hermione was sitting at one of the benches, outside the castle, surrounding the fountain. It was weekend so there weren't any classes. It was nearly seven then. Only a few more minutes and then dinner will start. She decided to spare a couple of minutes and breathe in a bit of fresh air so she went outside the castle. Due to her condition, she didn't dare go a long way. So she ended up sitting alone in one of the benches.

She lightly cupped her bulging stomach and then caressed it lightly. It had been six months since that night at the Astronomy Tower. Only a few weeks after that night, Draco urged her to tell the other staff about her situation. He said that it's better to tell them sooner so that all of them can look after her and also for her not to be bothered by the secrecy anymore.

Although she would've preferred to tell the others a bit later, she didn't contradict Draco's suggestion. So after a few weeks, she decided to tell all of them. It was during the weekly staff meeting when she told them. Draco was sitting beside her during that night. And occasionally, while she explained her situation, whenever she glances at him, his fixed and straight face will suddenly light up a bit and he'd smile at her just to show support. And because of that, she was able to tell them without breaking down.

To say that they were surprised was an understatement. They were all shocked when they heard what she had to say. There were so many questions. And most of the questions came from the younger professors such as Neville, Cedric and Hannah. But she didn't blame them for the questions. Instead, she patiently answered them as much as possible and as much as she could. After all, they were all batch mates or at some point, attended the school at the same time. They were just simply concerned about her. But even so, there were some details she left out. Like how that happened, who the father was and did the father know about the baby. Those were the questions she wasn't able to answer. Nobody knows the answer to all those questions – not even Ron. All Ron knew was that Harry was the father – except her and Ginny. Even Draco didn't know who the father was. He didn't ask her even once during those six months.

Among all those things mentioned above, there was only one thing that Hermione didn't get right. It was the bit about Draco. Unknown to her, Draco DID know who the baby's father was. Or at least, he had a hunch.

"Hey, Granger-Danger, what are you doing here alone?" A voice suddenly sounded from somewhere near the oak front doors of the castle. Hermione turned her head to the direction of the voice and found Draco Malfoy sauntering up to her slowly.

"Granger-Danger. Now, where did you get that one?" She asked him as soon as he flopped down on the spot next to her.

"I don't know. I came up with it? It's true, actually. You are a danger." Malfoy said as he stared at the fountain.

"How so?"

"You have the nerve to ask that?" Draco snorted. Then he smirked. He held up one finger. "First, you're a danger to me back when we were just studying here."

Hermione laughed, her tummy moving with every laugh.

Draco frowned. "What's so funny?"

"Really, Draco? Me, a danger to you? How?"

"Well, you've always been stealing my position at the top of the class. Because of you, I'm always second. And I didn't like that particular fact. You've always been a danger to my academic position, Granger-Danger." Draco carefully explained. The tone of his voice wasn't angry at all, it was teasing, as if he was daring Hermione to retort to her.

"Excuse me, I very well earned my spot at the honor roll, thank you. I didn't steal it. Admit it, I'm just really better than you." Hermione teased. Now if you were to say that particular sentence to the old git Malfoy, he would've insulted you back. But the Draco beside Hermione merely frowned and shrugged his shoulders.

"That would never be true, Granger-Danger. I'm still better than you." Draco argued.

Hermione simply chuckled and gave him an "If you say so." nod.

"Whatever. Anyway, how's your day?" He changed the topic. It was never a comfortable topic for him. Knowing that he's not really that superior. But still, he'll just keep quiet about it. Hermione smiled appreciatively.

"Well, boring, actually. It is weekend after all, Draco." She said matter-of-factly. She playfully trailed her finger around her round tummy as if tickling her baby.

"Yeah. Hey! You never told me about your day yesterday. How's class? Found any future Granger-Danger?" He teased again. "Did your class tire you so much?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. She stopped what she was doing earlier and proceeded to just resting her hand at the top of her stomach. She looked at the fountain and then answered him. "No. Not really. Actually, they didn't even make me do anything. They just told me to just 'sit back and relax' or the baby will 'jump out of my stomach'. Weird kids, actually. I never thought they'd be like this. Only two years ago, those students were the ones we were ordering around when we were just prefects." She finished. It was indeed weird. Being a teacher and being at that situation made her see the other students in a new light. The older students who were trouble-makers about two years ago and made her prefect life difficult were actually the ones who were most excited about her baby. A day would never pass without one of them asking 'When will you give birth, ma'am?' or 'What'll you name the baby?'. But it was great to have such concerned students.

"Yeah. And two years ago you were just the student who wanted to do so much homework. Look at you now, you're the teacher who lets her students do SO MUCH homework." Draco teased again. He was unconsciously hitting the foot of the bench with the end of his shoes.

"Hey! I'm not giving them TOO much homework." Hermione defended. "At least I think I don't."

Draco roared with laughter at her doubtful expression after saying her last sentence. "At least you give them homework. I, on the other hand, give them detention."

"Detention. You have reasons for giving them detention, right?" Hermione pointedly looked at him.

"Maybe I do? Maybe I don't? Who knows?" Draco said. Hermione playfully hit him on the arm. "You shouldn't be reckless, Hermy-one. You're nine months along. You could give birth any moment, you know?" Draco warned.

Hermione fixed herself. She sat properly in the bench. "I'm scared, you know?" She sighed heavily.

"About the whole giving birth thing? It's natural to be scared. It is hard for a woman to give birth." Draco consoled her. "But it is harder for a MAN to give birth. Have you ever heard of something like that?"

She smacked his arm. "I'm serious."

"Pardon. But seriously, you have nothing to be scared of. You aren't going through that alone. And I heard, once you're done with the giving birth thing, it's all worth it." He tried again. Hermione smiled at him.

"It's not just that. I meant I'm scared of what'll happen after I give birth. You know what I mean. " She explained. She looked at his eyes and tried to convey the message she can't put into words.

"Oh. Well, I don't know what to say." Apparently, he understood what she meant but didn't know what to say.

Hermione sighed heavily. "Well, I can't blame you. I should be talking about these things with my baby's father, not you." Hermione reasoned. She was right. She shouldn't be talking about things like these with Draco. He's not the father, after all. She should be talking to Harry about this. _"The only problem is, he's not here."_

She heard Draco sigh. "It's Potter, isn't it."

Her head snapped to face him. "What?"

"The baby's father is Potter."

Hermione didn't answer. She didn't even realize that she had said her last sentence out loud. It was supposed to be just a thought to herself. Looks like she was wrong when she thought that Draco had no idea about her baby's father.

"Silence means yes. Besides, I already know even if you don't answer. Harry Potter's your baby's father." Draco said matter-of-factly with a sigh.

"How did you know?" Hermione asked silently. Just then, they heard some noise from the entrance going down to Hagrid's hut. "What's that?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Draco was suddenly on his feet and looking at the direction of the noise. He illuminated his wand and pointed it at the same direction. He found nothing. "Nothing. Maybe just one of the pets of the students who got out of their cages." Draco suggested but his eyebrows were crunched in concentration and Hermione interpreted it as him being doubtful of his own statement. Draco walked back and sat down at the bench again. "Don't change the topic."

"What topic?"

"Did you even tell him about it?" Draco insisted. Hermione sighed heavily. She never liked talking about Harry. It only brought back memories. Memories she didn't want to look back to. But Draco insisted. And after all his help, he deserved answers.

"Trust me, I did." She started. "But there are things that just couldn't happen even though we want them to. He's happy now, I know that you know what I mean, Draco. You know very well that he has a girlfriend."

"Yeah, Chang. But I thought they broke up already?"

"They didn't. Actually that's the reason why they're at France right now. They're having a vacation." Hermione answered. To her, it felt like déjà vu. It was not only once that she talked about this to other people. Everything starts at this very question and then it would lead to why she had a one night stand with Harry. It would always start like that and then it'd lead to only one conclusion. She'd end up talking about everything. First she said it to Viktor, and then to Ginny then to Ron and now to Draco. Honestly, she was getting tired of the repeating process. "Draco, can we please not talk about this? I feel like this whole process was already repeated a lot of times. And I don't particularly like to talk about this. Please, understand."

"Okay. I won't push it anymore. As long as you said that you tried. That's enough. Now it's time for dinner. Let's go inside. It's bad for you to starve yourself, Granger-Danger." He joked again to lighten the mood. He stood up from the bench and held his hand out to her. She took it with a grateful smile and then they both made their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

Unknown to both of them, that night, there weren't any students' pets who got out of their cages. Unknown to them, the one who made the noise was another member of the faculty who happened to accidentally overhear their conversation. It was also unfortunate that the said person overheard them at the exact time that Draco said the one thing that should've been kept a secret…

* * *

Cedric inserted his wand through the wand-shape gap at the wall beside Cho's door. Again, he's there to spend dinner with her. It already became their routine every weekend to have dinner together just for old times' sake and to be able to catch up to what the other had been doing the past week.

The door knob made a clicking sound as soon as his wand lighted a dull blue. He took his wand again and tucked it back in his pocket. After twisting the knob, he opened the door and went inside. He found Cho sitting in the couch with her eyes closed. She probably fell into a short nap while waiting for him. He tiptoed his way to the back of the couch. He kissed the top of her head to wake her up. She stirred slightly and was about to look around when he cupped his hands to cover her eyes. "Guess who." He said playfully.

He can practically feel her rolling her eyeballs behind her closed lids. He chuckled to himself and waited for her answer.

Cho was not planning to answer but Cedric didn't make a move to indicate that he was planning to take his hands off of her eyes. "Cedric." She said. And then she cupped her hands over his and then started tugging at it. She heard him chuckle again and then he took his hands off.

"So you fell asleep waiting for me? Sorry about that." He apologized as he jumped from behind the couch and then took his seat beside her.

"What took you so long?" Cho asked. She stretched her arms as she yawned then she leaned against Cedric's chest and then closed her eyes again. She took a deep breath and his scent mingled with the air she breathed in. He smelled so masculine and clean like he just got out from the bathroom after taking a bath. She can even smell his aftershave. Just then, she remembered what happened just that morning. How Harry showed Patrick how to propose to a girl but what she saw was Cedric's face instead of Harry's. Until that very moment, she still didn't have an answer. Why she saw Cedric's face. Why she didn't even feel a slight pang of nervousness the whole time Harry told her all those things. And most importantly why she didn't feel a tinge of hurt when Harry said Hermione's name instead of hers. She didn't have a clue why.

"Well, it's just hard to get out of the castle. But no worries, I'm already here." Cedric answered her. She felt his chest vibrate as he spoke. Not only that. She also felt his heart's hammering in his chest. She felt Cedric's arm rise from his side and wrap themselves around her shoulder and pulled her closer. She didn't even contradict his movements. Instead, she leaned closer to him and savored his masculine scent. His heart's hammering sounded like music to her. She had a hunch that she can fall asleep just leaning against his chest and she'll have a comfortable sleep despite the sitting position. His torso was just so wide that she felt secured and comfortable leaning against it. Not to mention he was warm. "Uhhhhm, Cho? I have a question."

"Hmmm?" was Cho's answer. She was too busy listening to Cedric's heart's lullaby to even say a word.

"Do you think Harry'll go back to London anytime soon?" Cedric asked as he looked at a part of the dark sky that was visible through the window. Up until that moment, he still can't forget about what he overheard. Just before he was able to get outside the castle grounds, he overheard Malfoy and Hermione talking. He didn't intend to eavesdrop. What really happened was, he accidentally overheard their conversation. He was about to go out of the castle grounds when he found them conversing near the fountain. He tried his hardest to not make any noise and just get out of that place as soon as he can. But he accidentally heard Draco say that Harry was Hermione's baby's father, which she didn't deny.

At the sound of Cedric's question, Cho immediately sat properly and then turned to him. "What did you ask?"

"I-I." He stammered. He sighed and then tried again. "I mean. Why did he just decide to stay here and leave everybody behind? I thought it was because of them that he defeated Voldemort. Just so they can all live together. I mean, didn't he want to stay with the Weasleys? Or Hermione or…"

"Why did you suddenly bring up that topic, Cedric? What happened?" Cho asked, a bit irritated. She didn't know why but talking about Harry at that moment, irritated her. They can only talk and see each other for about a couple of hours every week. And now he's just wasting the time talking about something and someone else.

"Nothing. Err. Nothing happened." He lied. As much as he hated to lie to Cho, he can't do anything about it. After all, it wasn't his secret to share. It was bad enough that he heard their conversation. It would be worse to tell somebody else about what he heard. He looked back at Cho as the latter looked intently at him.

"Look, Cedric. I wasn't the one who decided for Harry." Cho said. It was true. It was Harry's own decision to stay there. But deep down, she felt like she really had something to do with all of these. She shook her head to dismiss the thought. "Whatever he decided, it's out of our hands. Let's just let him be, okay?" _No! You had something to do with this!_ A voice from the back of her mind, dictated. Again, the guilt-like feeling loomed over her. But she ignored it and set it aside.

"I just think that he should at least go home. It had been six months and he has to go home as soon as-" Cedric was cut-off midsentence when Cho suddenly cupped her hand over his mouth to prevent him from speaking.

"It's not in our hands, Cedric. This conversation is over, okay?" Cho insisted.

Cedric didn't want to leave the topic alone. He felt like he had the responsibility to convince Harry to go home to his son and the baby's mother. But as much as he hated to admit itt, Cho had a point. And when you think about it carefully, Hermione wouldn't be the kind of witch who'd just sit back and not tell someone something important. More so if it was about her, her baby and the baby's father. Hermione must have done something about it. It was true that it was out of their hands. He sighed and admitted defeat. He just had to forget about what he found out. He'll keep it as a secret as long as he lived.

Cho felt his warm breath when he sighed and then she smiled. "Are you ready to let go of the topic. Cedric dramatically frowned and slowly nodded. Cho took her hand off and she squealed when Cedric suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist and then pushed her into the couch.

"Nobody interrupts Cedric Diggory when he's talking. You'll pay for that, Cho!" Cedric said with a mischievous smile. He pushed her into a lying position on the couch. His form was hovering over her, his two arms on either side of her head, preventing her from escaping. Then he tickled her.

If there was something that Cho didn't want others to know, it was the fact that she was ticklish. That was her weakness. Cedric knew about it and that was his way of tormenting her ever since their childhood. He tickled her and she laughed out loud.

"Cedric, stop it!" Cho managed to say in between howls of laughter. Cedric was still tickling her waist, where she's most ticklish. "Stop it!"

"Not until you say sorry!" Cedric replied as he laughed too.

"Never!" With as much courage as a laughing girl could muster, she pushed him away. And because he was only hovering over her with his knees, he lost his balance as soon as she pushed him. He fell with his back on the couch.

The funny thing was, when he fell, he managed to wrap his arm around her waist and so she fell with him. Or more like she fell over him.

Cedric grunted when Cho landed over him. It was not a lie that Cho was pretty heavy. She was pretty tall and although she was sexy, she still was a bit heavy. He was panting with his eyes closed as Cho's laughter died down. He tried to relax, without opening his eyes. He felt the hammering of her heart. He didn't know what her position was when she landed but he really could literally feel her heart. Cedric slowly opened his eyes.

Cho was staring intently into Cedric's face when he opened his eyes. When he fell, he had his arms around her so she fell over him. Their faces were only inches from each other and they could practically feel their warm breaths mingling. They were still panting.

They looked at each other's eyes and the room just felt a bit warmer at that moment. Nobody bothered to move and stand from their position. They just merely lied there and stared at each other's eyes as if they were conversing just by looking into each other.

Cho felt like they had been in that position for a few hours – but it was just a few seconds – when Cedric close the gap between their faces. Their lips met for the first time.

Cedric felt her soft lips against his. He inwardly smiled. How many times had he dreamed of kissing her? Probably too many times to even count. He never imagined their kiss to happen at that situation. He dreamed about it but he never thought that it would feel so good. At first he was just kissing her softly. But after a few moments, she started responding. Their lips moved in synchronization against one another. It was as if their lips had a life of their own and were moving exactly in accordance to the other. He slowly tried to move her from above him. He shifted to the side and let her fall gently beside him. He cupped the back of her head and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

Cho snaked her hand from her sides and she rested him against his chest then she snaked them slowly to his neck and she tangled her fingers in his hair. She didn't know what was happening to her. Her mind was telling her that this shouldn't be done by two best friends. But her heart was dictating the opposite. It was as if she longed for this moment. To feel strong arms wrap themselves securely around her and assure her that she won't be in danger as long as she's with this man. It was then that everything clicked. The reason why she'd always anticipated the weekends. Why she never got nervous around Harry anymore. Why her heart starts to hammer whenever Cedric was near her. Why she saw Cedric's face instead of Harry's earlier that morning. All the answers started to click into place.

After what seemed like several days, they broke apart, both gasping for air. Cho's fingers were knotted in Cedric's hair while Cedric's hands were comfortably resting around Cho's waist. They stared at each other's eyes.

As Cho gazed at Cedric's brown orbs, it was then that she admitted to herself. She was in love with her best friend, Cedric Anthony Diggory.

* * *

AN: Gosh! That was a long chapter. I hope you didn't get bored with that. Sorry if it was so long.. But I merged errrmm… three chapters in this one. So I hope you don't hate me right now. So there we go, Cho finally realized it. She wasn't in love with Harry anymore. Harry's free! Let's celebrate! Oh and did anybody notice the familiar names of the Quidditch teams? I borrowed those from Quidditch through the Ages. But I changed some. The French Falcons Quidditch Team was really Falmouth Falcons but they're at France so I decided to change it to French Falcons. But it's the same team. Also the Caerphilly Cheetahs are originally Caerphilly Catapults, I think. But I'm not sure so I just settled with Cheetahs. That's it! So READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!

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Up next on First and Last:

Cedric and Hermione sees a bloody article on the Daily Prophet written by Skeeter. I wonder what it's about. More over, I wonder what Cedric will think about it.

Draco and Hermione will have an argument. What will it be about? Will they be enemies again? I hope not. Tune in next time to find out! Read and Review!

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READ AND REVIEW!


	30. Big, fat lies and Rejection

Disclaimer: HP is disclaimed. I do not own it.

AN: Here I am again, guys. I wanna apologize because I wasn't able to update for two freakin' weeks. I had a fever and school started. Because of that, I'm sorry to say that I will not be able to update everyday or every other day for that matter. But I promise to update maybe once or twice a week from now on. So please don't be angry at me, okay? No worries because there are only about 13 chapters left to write. There are a total of 42 chapters and the 42nd will be the epilogue so our journey's about to end. So the waiting time won't be that long anymore. Please be patient and please bear with me during the upcoming chapters.

Yay! I've reached my 90th review! And the 90th reviewer is none other than a very close friend of mine, gotswifted13. Hooray! So because of that, I dedicate this chapter to her!

**pawsrule: **Wow, I guess you already know what Rita's article is about. Congratulations! You guessed right, Yay! Thanks for that review! Draco, Hermione, enemies? Oh, I don't know. LOL! Thanks again!

**TwiTrek:** Dude, thanks for that review and that suggestion. I think I'll choose Nathaniel, gift from God. That's cool! And dude, you got the flow of the story! Yeah, there are some details you didn't get right but you got the flow of it, are you a psychic or what? Cool, keep those guesses to yourself, okay? Thanks again!

**miyakosaku: **Thanks for reviewing both chapters, you rock! That's okay; you have a cool name, trust me. Weird is cool. I know it because I'm weird and I'm cool. LOL! Kidding. Anyway, how do you think Harry will react about the whole DracoHermione bond? And you can go inside the fic and kiss Draco if you want but that's impossible and he's taken. By who, you ask? It's a secret for now. Heehee. Thanks again!

**Majko53**: Yeah, he's alive. You probably already realized that because it's written in chapter 11. I hope you continue reading, thanks!

**svn7777777: **Your guess is quite right! Skeeter only brings conflicts, after all. The DracoMione row will happen in this chapter so you'll find out soon. Thanks for, once again, reviewing and reading. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! (Seven thank you's in total.) :D

**mistdapple: **Thank you so much for the multiple suggestions. I'll stick with what I've chosen from your past suggestions, the light peach skin color. Thanks again!

**proudtobeatheatrekid:** Wow, I love your term! Wizard Paparazzi, cool! Since you asked about them, I'll include them in this chapter. Hooray! Hey, did you know that you're the 68th reviewer? Remember what I said about the 68th reviewer? I have a reward for you! I'll PM you about it later. Thanks again!

**pixies114: **Thanks for the compliment. Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it. Thanks!

**GotSwifted13: **Swifter! Hey babybottlepop! Thanks again for the compliment. I wonder…did you read until this chapter? Hmmm, anyway, thanks again! Here, I dedicate this chapter for you, I hope you like it. About your comment on the "laid" part in chapter 4... Nah. I don't write lemon. Well, more like I CAN'T! LOL! Hope to talk to yah soon, sis! Love yah!

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Chapter 30:

**It hurts when you love someone and that certain someone doesn't feel the same for you. But it hurts more when you thought that the one you love feels the same way but it turns out that you are a mile away from that possibility and everything you believed in are all just huge, fat lies.**

Cedric Diggory didn't believe in these words. He loved Cho so much and knowing that she wouldn't be able to return his feelings was the most hurtful thing for him. He had been in love with her ever since they were young. But through the years, they remained as nothing more than just best friends.

For so long, he thought that receiving nothing from the one you love was the worst. But as he glared at the photo in the latest article of _Me, Myself and I,_ he was proven wrong.

The wretched photo showed a kneeling Harry in front of none other than Cho Chang. Above the photo was the gleaming bold headline: POTTER AND CHANG TO RING THE WEDDING BELLS? He crumpled the bloody newspaper in his large hands and shoved it forcefully down his desk. He was currently sitting at his chair in front of his study room desk. It was a wretched Sunday morning. Because of his 'rendezvous', he wasn't able to go back to Hogwarts the past night. So he decided to just stay at his flat. It was the first time he wasn't able to go back at the castle after a dinner and he wasn't sure if it was okay with the Headmistress. That was why he planned to go back to the school later that afternoon. He just hoped she wouldn't bellow at him when he arrives there.

The past night felt like a dream came true to him. It was during that night that his and Cho's first kiss happened. It was the best thing that ever happened to him. While they were kissing, he felt loved. He felt that at last, his feelings were being returned. Although it sounded so cheesy, it really made him extremely happy. More over when she didn't regret what ensued between them. After what happened, she didn't seem sad. It was the exact opposite. He saw a bright gleam in her eyes as they ate dinner. The whole time, they didn't talk; they just simply stared at each other's eyes. It was the best dinner conversation that Cedric had, to think that they didn't even talk. It was as if their eyes had a silent conversation. It wasn't awkward. Instead, it was wonderful. The whole night was, indeed, a night to remember.

His face wrinkled with anger as he remembered the past night. As wonderful as it was, it seemed that everything was just a lie. The crumpled article was enough proof. It confused him to the point that his confusion just morphed into rage and anger. The most wonderful night of his life was nothing more than just a faux. It was foolish of him to believe in everything that he thought. He thought that finally she had fallen for him but boy, how wrong he was. How dumb was he to even believe that it would happen? It was impossible from the very start. He was just a best friend to her and nothing more.

He sighed with exhaustion and stood up from his chair. He went to the window and took a whip of fresh air. "Seems like it is impossible after all." He said as he gazed at the empty streets of his neighborhood. "I have to forget about her."

It was a final decision. He had to forget her. It was the right thing to do. The past event between them was just a blunder and even though it might be true that she didn't regret the kiss, it was still wrong. She was engaged now. It would be a sin to still think of her in that way. Also in her part, it would be big sin if she'll still continue to spend time with him after what happened. And there was only one solution to that. He had to avoid her. He had to forget about what had happened and he had to start ignoring her…

* * *

Harry pushed the wooden door of their quarters with his free hand. On his right hand was his firebolt and strapped on his back was his Broomstick Servicing Kit. Once he was inside, the chatters of his teammates flowed fluidly around him. He heard them chuckling and chattering to themselves.

"And he was like… Harry, man, I'm begging you. Help me." Joe said as he laughed at Patrick.

"Why am I hearing my name there?" Harry asked with a loud voice. All heads turned to him. Almost everyone from his team were there and doing their own businesses. Most of them were polishing their broomsticks while some where shining their shoes. Just like Harry, their businesses were preparing their stuff for their very first match the next day. They won't be practicing that was why most of them just went to the quarters to prepare their stuff and clean their broomsticks. As weird as it seemed and as nonsense as it sounded, Quidditch players preferred cleaning and caring for their Quidditch stuff with their own hands, not magic. It's a flyer's thing.

"Nothing, Harry. I was just telling Irish here about yesterday when Patrick asked your help." Answered Joe as he poured shoe polish on the piece of cloth in his hand and started polishing his shoes, a mocking grin still plastered in his lips.

"Oh. So…I take it that the proposal went well?" Harry turned his head to Patrick who was sitting beside Irish and was trimming the twigs of his Omnix 370.

Patrick peeled his eyes off from his broomstick for a while and turned to Harry. "Yeah. Well, I proposed, alright. But I wouldn't say that everything went well." Patrick had troubled eyes as he turned to gaze at his fiancé.

Irish playfully smacked Patrick's head in a gentle manner. She smiled widely at him. "Oh, shut up, Pat. It went more than well."

"Oooooh! Something tells me we want to hear about what happened." Nick teased. He was sitting beside Joe on the bench. His uniform was laid in the empty bench in front of the one they were occupying. He was fiddling with the stitches in his uniform.

Harry walked towards them and sat beside Maverick who was silently adjusting the straps of his knee pads. Then, Harry took out his Servicing Kit from his backpack and started polishing the handle of his firebolt. "Yeah, what happened, guys? Mind telling us? I bet the proposal was a success, Patrick?" Harry finished as he pointed a finger at the gleaming ring in Irish's finger to prove his point.

Patrick's face crumpled in difficulty. He tried to smile but it came out as a grimace. "I think I wouldn't want you guys to hear about my night."

"Oh, come on, Pat. You know you want to tell us. It's okay, right Irish?" Yihsa supplied. Just like Maverick, she was busy adjusting her Quidditch armors.

"Yeah, I think so." Irish shrugged and went back to her business. She was adjusting her footrest.

Patrick glared at Yihsa but still went on with the retelling of events. "So here's what happened… "Remember I told you yesterday that I already planned a dinner? Well, we went on with the plan." Patrick recounted the events of his dinner with her fiancé. "Then I followed Harry's advice. I took both her hands and then started telling her how much I love her."

"And then?" Joe urged him to continue. Patrick's face turned scarlet and crumpled with embarrassment.

"And then…I…" Patrick stammered he was silently pleading Irish for help. The night was, indeed, perfect. But he wasn't sure if what he did can exactly be called perfect. What really happened was…

FLASH BACK!

Patrick was pacing back and forth in front of the table. Only ten more minutes and Irish will arrive. He nervously patted the square lump inside his pocket. The ring was safely tucked in its velvet box and securely placed inside his pocket. He fixed his tie and brushed off invisible dust from his tuxedo. He was on his best dress that night. He just wished that everything will go according to plan. "Everything's going to be okay, Patrick. No need to panic. Keep yourself composed. Everything will be fine." He tried to convince himself as he took a deep breath. "But what if she says no?" His breathing hitched as the negative part of his brain battled with the optimistic part.

_She will never say no. She loves you._

_I'm on that but what if I'm not the right one for her?_

_You are! Didn't she say that herself?_

_Yeah…But… What if she isn't ready for marriage yet?_

_How old are you, pops? You gotta jump on this ASAP!_

_But…But…But…_

He slapped his forehead in an attempt to scold himself. "What the heck is happening to you? You're not normally like this. You're normally the one who laughs in the face of trouble and nervousness." He scolded himself. It was true. This was exactly not like him. He was the joker, normally. He was even worse than the Daniels Brothers when it came to joking and making fun of others. Most of the time he's the annoying clown. But there were two things that could really make him totally serious. The first one was whenever they're on a Quidditch practice or meeting. He's the captain, after all and he had to be serious when it came to those things. The other one was whenever he's with Irish. Nobody might know it but whenever they're together, he's not the joker. He's more like the gentle boyfriend. He didn't know why. All he knew was that whenever he's with her, the only thing he wanted to do was protect her and be the perfect boyfriend for her as much as he could. So, summing that up, one could really consider him as a sucker for love. That was his soft spot. He might be the cool captain on the outside, but when it came to love and the girl he loved, he's just a simple boyfriend who couldn't freely state his emotions.

His inner monologue was cut short when an employee of the muggle restaurant approached him. Unlike the other occupants of the restaurant, he didn't book a table inside the building. Instead, he booked the whole garden for the two of them. It was the closest thing to private in that place. He chose the garden because it had very good landscaping and it was open to the night sky. Millions of stars glittered the clear night sky. If there was something Irish loved, it was stargazing during a breezy night. And the place was just perfect.

Their table was complete with a bottle of wine – which he learned was a drink that muggles have during formal occasions. There were tall, fat, scented candles mounted on a candelabra and gave a faint glow that made the scene more romantic. And to complete the package, there was a trio of violinists near their table that played slow, romantic songs. He didn't know what they were playing; the trio of musicians was kind of included in the restaurant services for special occasions. But even though he didn't have a single hint about the songs being played, it still somehow sounded so relaxing and it was more than enough.

"Sir, the car has arrived." The employee told him. He had rented the restaurant car complete with a driver to fetch Irish from her flat. He would've been the one to fetch her if only he had a car. What he had was an Omnix 370 – which was a broomstick and a broomstick wasn't quite suitable for the night so he stuck with the muggle car.

"Okay, thank you. I'll be right there." He thanked the employee. The employee led the way to the back gate of the restaurant where a shiny black car was parked. After leading him, the employee gave him a 'Good Luck' smile and then disappeared through the doors leading back to the restaurant. "This is it. You can do it, Patrick." He took a deep breath as he convinced himself that everything would be okay.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he made his way towards the car. The driver knew what would happen, that was for sure. Because the driver didn't bother to open the door of the car, apparently knowing that he would be the one to open it for her. He reached out a shaking hand and opened the car door. The inside of the car was dark so he was unable to see her. That was until she took his outstretched hand – the free hand, not holding the door – and stepped out of the car.

She was beautiful. Actually, more like perfect. She was wearing a flowing red dress that went down to her knees. Her hair was cascading gently down her back with a few strands framing the sides of her face. She was wearing high heels so she stood only a bit shorter than him at that point. There was only one thing Patrick could do the moment he saw her. It was drop his jaw and gape at her.

Irish stepped out of the car and hooked her arm around his. "Ever heard of insects called flies?" she cupped his chin and closed his open mouth.

Patrick shook his head to clear his mind and led her to their table. Along the way, he couldn't help but gaze at her. Until that moment, he still couldn't place how a girl as beautiful as her had fallen in love with a boring guy like him. Thinking that only did nothing except make him more nervous.

"Why are you staring? Do I have dirt on my face or something?" Irish asked with a teasing smile.

"Nothing. You look…perfect." He managed to squeak. Once they arrived at their table, he pulled one of the seats and let her sit. He made his way to the opposite seat and flopped down.

"What is this for, Patrick? What's the occasion?" Irish asked with curiosity in her eyes.

"Nothing, really." He shakily answered. He ducked and took something out from under the table. Clutched in his hand, was a bouquet of roses. He handed it to her. "I just wanna spend the night with you."

Irish chuckled. "Wow, so cheesy." She teased him as she reached out for the bouquet of flowers and sniffed it appreciatively. It was bouquet of different colored roses, her favorite.

Patrick mentally scolded himself for being so nervous. His palms were sweating, not to mention his knees were shaking. If that continued, he might ruin the whole night. And he couldn't let that happen. He took a deep breath for the umpteenth time to calm himself. He snapped his fingers and a waiter emerged from the door leading the restaurant. "Bring everything in."

After a few minutes, the food was neatly laid down their table. They ate as the violinist played another muggle song. As they ate, they talked about Quidditch, something they both love and some other things. Time passed by as they talked. Patrick didn't even notice that they already finished dessert.

"Wow. The food was delicious." Irish smiled. She wiped her mouth with the table napkin. "Thanks, babe. This had been a wonderful night."

After hearing Irish's statement, nervousness attacked him once more. The fact that he already had to go on with the proposal dawned on him. He gulped loudly. Suddenly, the velvet box in his pocket seemed to weigh tons. He reached out his hand and draped it over hers, wishing desperately that it wasn't shaking horribly. "Errrm. Irish, The thing is… This isn't just a dinner. Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"Ask something?" Irish surveyed him curiously. "Okay, shoot."

Patrick stood up from his seat, without taking his hand off of Irish's. Once he was on his feet, he pulled her up and urged her to stand up. Despite Irish's curiosity, she followed his suit and stood up as well.

Patrick took a deep breath, the deepest he could draw. He clutched Irish's hands and intently looked into her eyes, as if trying to look into her very soul. Just like what Harry showed him and what he practiced, he started talking. "Irish, babe. I didn't bring you here to have a simple dinner. The truth is…"

Irish waited patiently for her boyfriend to finish what he was saying. But as she waited, her heart was already hammering in her chest. Her stomach had fluttering butterflies. Although he hadn't said it yet, her intuition was already kicking in and you gotta admit, when a lady had that feeling in the gut, she'd always be right. She only had one interpretation for what her boyfriend was doing that very moment. He was starting to propose to her.

Patrick was panicking. That was a fact. He was in a panic. He didn't know what to do. Heck, he had practiced what he would say to her. But now, his mind was blank, nuh-uh, nothing, zip! "Irish. We've been on the same team for more than six years now." Patrick shakily tried. "And we've been together for four years now. That day when I met you at that pub had been one of the most memorable days of my life."

_He's definitely doing it. Irish thought to herself_. She'd been right. Now, she was sure. A guy only says these things whenever they're going to propose. She held her breath as the rest of Patrick's words swirled around her.

"When I first saw you, it was your eyes that I immediately noticed. They were beautiful and gleaming with softness." Patrick continued as he stared and drowned in her beautiful eyes. Now that he started to talk, everything started seeping back into his mind, everything he practiced. He just hoped he would be lucky enough to go through with this pleasantly. "It was also on that day that I said to myself 'I would do everything I can to make you notice me.' I tried hard to befriend you. Through the years, we became friends and as time passed by, we grew closer to each other until the day that I realized that I don't just see you and want you as a companion, someone to talk to about Quidditch. But someone I want to hold and someone I want to have and love. Now, after six years, I'd come to realize one more thing."

Patrick heard the music swirling around the two of them. But it sounded distant. What he was feeling at that exact moment was nothing like he had ever felt before. It felt like the world was muted around them. And as he stared at his girlfriend's gleaming eyes, he felt like he was drowning in them. That was when everything went wrong. Suddenly, he didn't know what to say next. All of his fears and terror attacked him like a wave. Why isn't she saying anything? What if she doesn't want to marry me? What if she doesn't love me anymore? He thought to himself as paranoia attacked. His hands dropped Irish's hands.

Irish's eyes flared with panic as Patrick dropped her hands. "What's wrong, babe?" She could see doubt in his eyes and so she was left to think to herself. _'What if I was wrong? What if he wasn't planning to propose? What if he wanted to break-up with me? What if all these years, he had realized that he really didn't love me?' _

Patrick bowed his head in disappointment. He was disappointed with himself. Everything was perfect until his paranoia ruined it. Everything's ruined and he was to blame. "I'm just…I'm afraid you'll reject me. Let's face it; I'm no good with this kind of thing. Give me a broom and tell me to fly across the Atlantic or tell me to hunt a grizzly bear, I'll do it. But things about love, I don't know what to do. I'm just afraid you'll reject me." Patrick explained with his head down. "Everything was going perfectly until I was hit by the possibility that you might not want to marry me. Oh, dammit! I haven't even asked you the question and yet I'm like this… Look, I'm sorry; I just don't want to hear the rejection from you. I'm afraid to lose you."

Irish sighed with relief. Funny, she thought of the same thing. She thought he was gonna leave him forever. With a smile plastered in her lips, she held Patrick's chin and pulled it up so that their eyes were leveled. "Patrick, listen to me." She said. "I know you're not good with serious matters. You try to turn everything into a funny joke. Well, anything besides Quidditch. But that's okay. I know you and I accept you despite that. You don't have to be afraid of rejection. You didn't do anything wrong. Well, yeah you slipped up and told me you were afraid I won't marry you before you even asked the question. But so what?"

"Ugh! Why do I have to be so paranoid? I completely ruined it!" Patrick threw his head back in frustration. His face was red with embarrassment. Everything was going perfectly until he turned dumb and paranoid.

"No. It wasn't ruined, babe." Irish lifted her arms and draped them over her boyfriend's shoulder. "Look, I love you, okay? That's all you have to think about. I will never ever reject you. In my eyes, you're perfect and you'll always be perfect. I wouldn't want any other man holding me in front of the aisle. I love you and I want you with me during the best moments of my life. Because you are my life."

"So you'll marry me?" Patrick asked with a smile.

Irish answered with a nod. She dropped her arms to her side as Patrick took out the velvet box from his pocket.

Patrick opened the box. The beautiful ring gleamed as the faint moonlight fell down on the ruby. He clutched it carefully with his forefinger and thumb. He held out his hand to his fiancé. She gave her hand to him just like how she trusted him with her heart. Patrick slipped the ring through her finger. "I promise I will never hurt you. I will take care of your heart forever."

Irish wrapped her arms around Patrick's neck and she tangled her fingers with his hair. Patrick's arms found their way to her slender waist. Under the moonlight, their lips met as another song was played by the musicians. It was the only muggle song that Patrick knew because it was the same song that played during their first date. It was the song entitled…DESTINY.

END OF FLASHBACK!

Yep, Patrick wouldn't want the others to know about that. "Nah. Forget about it, guys. I'm not gonna tell you anything. That's private and I like to keep it to the both of us, thank you."

"Awww, come on, man! You're lame!" Joe taunted.

"Nuh-uh! That's for me to know and for you to…not know." Patrick had made up his mind. He would never tell them what happened. Looking back on the events of the past night made him realize one thing… Irish was right. It was perfect in its own unique way. It was perfect because they were together and happy.

"Lame, Patrick!" Ayihsa shouted at him.

"Just let them be, guys. As long as she said yes, that's cool enough." Harry said as he continued to polish his broomstick's handle.

Maverick, who was adjusting the straps of his kneepads earlier, set his armors down and turned to Harry. "Hey Harry! Where's Cho?"

"Probably still sleeping, why?"

"Well, have you seen the paper today?" Mav continued to inquire. He stood up from the bench and proceeded to sitting on the floor. His back was leaning against the foot of the bench he was occupying a while ago. He was taking a rest…or probably just became too lazy to do anything at the moment.

"I haven't yet. I'm not subscribed to the paper." Harry answered. After making sure that his handle was already shiny, he started adjusting the footrest.

"Well, you should." Patrick said, apparently glad that the attention had shifted from him to Harry.

"Why?" Harry asked simply with a raised eyebrow.

"Because…" Maverick started. He took something from under the bench and tossed it to Harry. "There's a rumor about you again."

Harry caught the paper between his hands and unfolded it. The page was already turned to the article in question. It was, yet again, another article of Skeeter's _Me, Myself and I. _"Okay, another article of Skeeter, so what?"

Nick looked at him as if he'd just sprouted another ear. "So what? Dude, read it. It's about you and Cho again. They took a picture of you as you were showing Patrick how to propose. Now everybody's gonna thing that you proposed to her."

Nick was right. A picture of him kneeling down on his knee in front of Cho could be seen beside the article title. So he hadn't just imagined the flash he saw. There really had been wizard paparazzi in the stands that morning. "You know what I learned back when I was on my fourth year at Hogwarts?" Harry turned to his teammates. They all looked curious. "It was…Ignore everything that Skeeter says. If you give her rumors attention and deny them, it'll only get worse. She always writes bull just to irritate people. This time, I won't give her the satisfaction. Besides, we all know it's not true."

"But your family back in Britain doesn't." Patrick simply said.

"They know me. I won't do that kind of thing without telling them first. And they know Skeeter is just a liar. Trust me, they won't believe this." Harry answered. Although, he wasn't too sure. He was just hoping that someone from the Weasleys and his friends would be clever enough to deduce that the rumor wasn't true. Actually, he had a particular witch in mind. He just hoped he was right and that she wouldn't believe the ruddy article.

* * *

Draco climbed the stairs of the Astronomy tower silently. It had been a routine of his to climb the tower every night before going to bed. Despite the fact that the tower held so many bad memories, it still relaxed him. Standing at the side of the tower and leaning against the railing while looking down at the lake and the mountains, made him feel calmed. Looking out and witnessing the huge world he was in made him think and gave him hope that someday, he might find the place where he truly belonged.

He drew a deep breath as he reached the last stair. As he walked to the railing, he caught sight of a dark silhouette at the corner of the tower. Stifled sobs echoed softly around the stone tower. He changed course immediately. Instead of going straight ahead towards the railing, he swerved to the right and sauntered towards the person.

"Hermione, is that you?" Draco asked. Hermione's face was bowed but he didn't need to see her face just to know it was her. Her bulging stomach was enough proof. She was sitting at the small pedestal at the corner of the tower. "What are you doing here? How did you even get here?"

Hermione didn't answer. She had been at that same spot right after dinner. She gotta admit, it was a difficult task to climb the stairs. But she needed to be alone. She needed fresh air. She continued to bow her head and ignored Draco. She also tried her best to stifle her sobs. But one sob managed to break free.

"Wait, are you crying?" Draco asked. He crouched down so that his face was leveled with hers. He surveyed her bowed face, trying to see if she was crying. But he was unable to see her face. What he saw was a different thing. Beside her was the day's issue of the Daily Prophet and the page that was on top was the page where Skeeter's article was printed. Because of that, he became sure that she was, indeed, crying.

"Crying about the article, are you?" Draco tried again. Instead of sitting beside her, he stood up and simply leaned his back against the wall and put his hands inside his pockets.

Again, Hermione ignored him. She was in no state to talk to anyone at the moment.

"You shouldn't be crying. It would be bad for you and the baby." Draco continued his monologue. Little by little, he was starting to get irritated. Why wasn't she answering? If it wasn't because of her sobs, he'd think she was asleep. "Stop crying already." Still, no response. Draco sighed loudly. "Why do you even believe that crap? It's Skeeter's work, for crying out loud!"

"Draco, just leave me alone." Hermione finally pleaded with a shaky voice. It was evident in her voice that she was trying her best not to break down completely.

Draco shook his head gently. His voice was soft when he spoke to her. "Why don't you just tell Potter about the situation? I get the feeling Potter never knew about this. Even if I didn't like him in the past, still not liking him now and probably will never like him, I know he wouldn't ignore this kind of thing. You'd been best friends for a long time. Potter wouldn't just leave you like this."

"Please, Draco." Hermione pleaded again.

Draco was almost tempted to leave her alone. But he knew better. As much as it wasn't his business anymore, he knew how it hurts to know that the person you love was in another's arms. "Tell him, Hermione. Trust me, everything would be better."

"Malfoy, I said leave me alone!" Hermione suddenly stood up and shouted at him.

Draco saw her state for the first time. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was very pale against the moonlight. "Hermione, you're a wreck." He accidentally blurted out. It was already too late when he realized he shouldn't have said it.

"Gosh, thank you, Malfoy. Now, leave!" Hermione said sarcastically but with force and then she sat back slowly, carefully. She covered her face with her hands and let the tears flow freely once more.

"You shouldn't be crying. You shouldn't stress yourself." Draco said in an attempt to make up for what he said. "If he means really this much to you, fight for him. Tell him about the situation. Tell him what you feel. Don't just sit here and do nothing. Don't be a coward. You're being dumb by not fighting for him."

Hermione snorted. "Don't talk like you know what I'm feeling, Malfoy. That's easy for you to say. For all I know, you haven't even loved! You don't know how it hurts to be rejected! So don't you lecture me about being dumb and coward! Because you don't know what I'm feeling!" Hermione argued. She was tired – tired of hearing those words. 'Just try to tell him.' 'You should tell him.' They were repeating it to her again and again, as if she didn't even try. God knows how hard she tried to tell him, how much pain she received in return. All those times she tried to talk to him…Before he left, two months after he left, all of those had just been rubbish. She received nothing but rejection and pain. Now, this man was lecturing about being dumb and coward? How dare he? He didn't even know anything!

Draco's demeanor darkened. His vision dimmed at hearing Hermione's words echoing through his mind and hitting him like a huge wave. "Haven't even loved?" He yelled at her. "You're the one who doesn't know anything, Granger! You don't know me! You don't know what I've been through! Even so, listen to me…"

Draco's face lowered to level with Hermione's. He edged near her until their faces were just inches away. Her breath caught in her throat at the viciousness of his eyes as he stared at her. His eyes were worse than cold ice. They were piercing and blazing. She wanted to move away, but the intensity of his stare held her to her place. After her outburst, she found herself regretting that she angered and woke the beast inside him once again that had been slumbering for the past months.

"If you think that you've suffered so much already, plant this in your enormous brain, I've suffered worse." He said, his voice dripping with rage. "You'd been a coward and didn't even tell him what you feel. Don't even say that you tried, because if you did, you didn't try hard enough. You don't have the right to tell me that I do not know how it feels to be rejected. Because believe me, I've been rejected for far more times than you could ever imagine. You thought you've already been hurt so much because of seeing that damned article. Let me tell you one thing, hearing a fucking rumor about the person you love is a lot better than hearing the words 'I don't love you anymore.', straight from the person's mouth! Having the person you love cherish someone else from the very start is like a touch of a feather against the feeling of rebuff when you learn that the only person you love and once loved you so much had pushed you away and is already in the arms of another bloke! You don't know how it feels to be _her _everything one moment and then suddenly be completely nothing the next second! Trust me; you know nothing of rejection, Granger." Draco finished. He stood straight once more and towered over her.

Hermione was taken aback. She didn't know a person like Malfoy could hold this much pain inside him. It scared her. Clearly, Draco had kept everything inside. Draco gave Hermione another look of hatred and turned towards the stairs. He was stopped in his tracks by her trembling voice. "I-I-I'm sorry."

Draco stopped in his tracks but didn't dare look back at her. His chest was heaving. He felt crushed. In a long time, he hadn't felt so destructed. All the pain he had felt when the only love of his life had pushed him away, had stroked him like a bullet train in an instant. He had tried his best to shove the pain away in a drawer, lock them up and never dare open it again. But what Hermione said had acted as a key and blasted the drawer open.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. You didn't tell me. I'm sorry." Hermione apologized. Honestly, her change of mood was striking her like a whiplash. One moment she was distressed, the next moment she was angry and the next moment, she was apologetic. _Mood swings…Ugh!_

"I haven't told anybody about it." Draco simply said, his voice still seeping with danger.

"If you had, you wouldn't have felt this way. You should've confided in someone you trust about those things."

"Listen, Granger. I do what I want to do." Draco said silently but the way he said it, it was hard and perilous. He turned to her once more and continued. "If I choose not to tell anybody about this, there's a reason. The whole of my life had been revealed to the public at the moment my father was thrown back in Azkaban. Everything I believed in was thrown to the rubbish bin. I grew up, thinking that having power and using it to control others under me was the right thing to do. But after everything that had happened, it turned out to be nothing but dung! Everything I believed in was just fake! My whole life had been a big fat lie! You know what I felt? Learning that my life was nothing but shit made me doubt myself, made me lose confidence and belief in myself. I tried changing myself. But as you can see now, I failed completely. But this is the only part of my old life that I still have. Having memories of my past life – painful or happy – in a way, gave me something to hold on to. At least I still had those memories to look back to. At least not everything in my life turned out to be a lie. There were some pieces left. And I want to keep those to myself and not open it to the public like my whole wretched life. Going through everything that I've been through made me lose trust to the world. With that, I know you already figured out why I didn't choose to tell anybody." With that, he swiftly turned his back on her and went down the stairs. The relaxing stay in the Astronomy Tower that he had expected turned out to be stressful in the end.

Hermione listened as the low thudding of Draco's feet softened to nothing. And after a long moment of loud voices ringing through the Tower walls, the Tower turned silent once more. But her mind was far from silent. Her mind was reeling and whirling with different thoughts and questions about Draco's last words. _'Going through everything that I've been through made me lose trust to the world' _She wondered to herself whether or not Draco had really lost every ounce of trust in his system. As she stood up and went to the edge of the tower and leaned against the railing, she had, for the time being, forgotten about her own worries.

* * *

AN: There it is guys! I know it has been a couple of weeks since I last updated. But I was busy with school and I had fever for two days. So I hope you're not angry with me and I hope that you can forgive me. I've already experienced the wrath of my readers once when I didn't update for a month. I didn't receive a single review for the first chapter that I uploaded after that month of no updating. I don't want that to happen again. Please forgive me guys and send me reviews. It really makes me happy. I hope you like this chapter. It's quite long but it's heartfelt and I hope you love it. Thanks again and please REVIEW! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!


	31. Behold, a gift from God!

**Disclaimer:**

**Me:** I don't own Harry Potter. Seriously, this disclaimer is kinda boring. I wonder how Darren Criss would've done this.

**Darren:** Did someone say Darren Criss?

We don't wanna, we don't wanna be sued.

We're not tryin', tryin' to be rude.

Cause it ain't funny,

We ain't got the money to lo-o-o-o-ose.

We never wanted, never wanted to fight.

Legal issues and misuse and copyright.

If we annoy ya,

We ain't got the lawyers to u-u-u-u-use.

So understand that we're just fans.

We can't fight THE ONE.

So we're playin' it safe,

And disclaiming the whole franchise.

So we won't pay the price,

We can still stick around.

And they won't shut us down.

This is all for now…

But stay tuned…

We will update soon.

Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo….

**Me:** That is totally awesome! I don't own HP and I don't own that song!

****

AN:

I love that song from StarKidPotter. I edited some parts so that it'll be suitable as a disclaimer but it's still awesome! Aren't they just adorable? Not just Darren Criss, all of them! Anyway, I'm back for another update. Thanks to all those who suggested a baby name. You guessed right, the baby will come out today. I want to thank everybody who helped. Thanks, guys! And also those who added me and my story to their faves and alert lists. And most of all, thanks to those who sent me a review. You never fail to make me smile, guys! I love you, guys! Thanks a lot!

**Pawsrule: **Thanks a lot, dude!

**The Romantic 23: **You seriously thought that was funny? Hmmm. My friend said that my author's notes on that part were kind of annoying. LOL! Anyway, thanks for reviewing and for appreciating my author's notes. LOL!

**Pixies114:** Thanks! That part was for you.

**TheDoctorsLonelyAngel: **Thanks for that suggestion. I've already chosen the ones I'll use for the story. Even though yours wasn't chosen, I still want to thank you for suggesting. Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it.

**Proudtobeatheatrekid: **Another long review from you. Wow! You're awesome! Thank you, thank you for that wonderful feedback. Your reviews always make me smile. Cool! And thanks for that constructive criticism. Hmmm. Now that I think of it, you are right. I'll keep your suggestion in mind next time I do a flashback. Thanks again!

**TwiTrek**: Well you thought of a cool meaningful name. Your suggestion deserves it. Yeah, I hate school. I just wish I can just type and type and type in front of the computer everyday. LOL! Oh and kindly keep your psychic powers to yourself. Don't give them a clue! XP Thanks!

**Hermioneg98: **Don't worry, Hermione. He will go home quite soon and go back to you. Oops! I meant the story-Hermione. LOL! I love your penname! Awesome!

**Dreamer Ginny in the clouds: **Hey Gin, I've already changed the summary. I just don't know if it's any better, though. Anyway, I hope you continued reading my story. I'm still waiting for that review you were talking about. Thanks again for the constructive criticism!

**Ambereyes55: **Well, whatta ya know? Here's the next chapter. Your wait is over. LOL! I hope you like it!

**Xylara-pureheartedromanticist: **Seriously, Eckay, you're penname is long. It gave me difficulties in typing it. Anyway, thanks for that cool review. I'm still not used to that master thing. Come one, drop the master, dude! LOL! Thanks again!

**Svn7777777: **Whew, I thought I've lost you, mate! Good thing you went back. I thought I'd lost an awesome reviewer. Whew! Anyway, your review made me go AWWWWWW. It's so touching. Just so you know, even if a review only says "great job!" it still overwhelms me because that means appreciation. Redundant? Psh! There's no such word in my dictionary. Thanks again!

**Miyakosaku: **Calling the attention of Miyakosaku. Headmistress McGonagall said she wants to meet you in her office. Oh, and by the way, she said that while you're at it, tell Peeves to stop pestering the gargoyle outside her office. Kiddin'! Hey, dude, where are you? Hmmm. Just curious. Anyway, read the next chapter and give me a review if you're up to it. Thanks! Hope you're okay! Bye!

Read on!

* * *

Chapter 31:

The merry chirping of blue jays could be heard as a tall, white-blond and pale young man leaned against one of Hogwarts' many concrete windows. It was an early Monday morning and he was spending his free time outside the castle; leaning against the window of the corridor on the left side of the fountain. It was only five o' clock and the whole castle was still asleep.

Draco Malfoy calmly brushed his pale hand through his blond hair. The events of the past night were still lingering in his memories. Their loud voices that echoed through the walls of the Astronomy Tower during the past night were now echoing through the walls of his own mind. He never thought he would be able to let all those frustrations out. He had been hiding them for as long as he could remember.

Once again, anger bubbled inside him. But at the same time, guilt flooded him. She had apologized to him but he ignored her. He felt afraid that he was, once again, turning back to the arrogant boy that he was in the past. But then again, he had never really changed. No, not really, just sort of. He was still a git just like before. The way he acted the past night proved it. He was the one who told her to not think too much of depressing things because it could harm her. Yet, he was the one who upset her more. Yes, he hadn't really changed…or so he thought…

The young man was so immersed in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice when someone slowly approached him. That was why he jumped a little when the person spoke. "Draco. Can we talk?"

Hermione was standing beside Draco. She had wanted to talk to him first thing in the morning. The past event didn't spare her mind as well. So as soon as she woke up, she started looking for him. She knew he would want to be alone but she had to talk to him. She had to apologize.

Draco didn't answer. He didn't know what to say. So he merely shut his mouth and continued gazing at the playing fountain.

"Will you mind if I sit?"

Draco gave his head a little shake. Hermione took it as a good sign. At least he wasn't being arrogant and he didn't push her away even though he was snobbish. She feared that the argument they had might have caused him to go back to his old self. Good thing it didn't. She gently and carefully sat at the bench. Draco was facing the window and gazing at the fountain through it so that made his back face the bench and Hermione.

"Draco, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean it. I didn't know. I'm sorry. Don't be angry." Hermione pleaded. Her voice was soft and fragile, as if she was about to break down.

Draco kept his mouth shut. He just listened to her apologies, not because he didn't want to accept those, but he merely wanted to hear what she had to say. So he pursed his lips in a thin line and continued listening to her.

"Please, say something, Draco. I hate it when people stay silent while I'm talking. It means they're disappointed in me… and I…and I…" Hermione was not able to finish what she was saying. She broke down in the middle or her statement. Draco hadn't said a single word since she started talking and it reminded her of the day she told Ron about her situation. Just like Draco, Ron didn't say anything at first. And at that moment, she felt like she was a very huge disappointment. And she didn't like it.

"Psh. Moody preggers." Draco started. He turned around from his old spot of facing the fountain and then he swung his legs over the vacant part of the bench and sat down beside Hermione. "Your situation is doing wonders to your mood and personality, Granger. You aren't normally like that, are you? The Granger I know does not cry that easily in front of me. I think it is more likely that the old Granger will break my nose than weep in front of the git. Here." Draco offered her his silk handkerchief.

Hermione awkwardly took it and she blew her nose rather noisily-that made the corner of Draco's lips turn up slightly.

"I'm sorry." Suddenly, Draco apologized.

"W-what?"

"I said I'm sorry. About last night, it was my fault. Ugh! This is so not me!" Draco smacked his forehead. It was evident in his eyes that it was difficult for him to say the word 'sorry'. Old practices weren't that easy to get rid of. "As I much as I hate to admit it, Granger-Danger, you were right. You didn't know. It wasn't your fault. I'm the one who's supposed to say sorry, aren't I? I told you to not stress yourself but I was also the one who stressed you out last night, I tired you out. I bet you weren't able to sleep well because of what happened between us last night…Whoa! That had another meaning."

The two of them laughed and the atmosphere around them lightened. That was all it took for the tension to break. The both of them felt as if a heavy load was lifted from their shoulders.

"I'm sorry again." Hermione apologized once more.

Draco shook his head vigorously "It wasn't your fault. I realized you were right. If I'd just told somebody about it, the burden wouldn't be that heavy. Maybe it's the fact that I haven't told anybody about it that made it so painful."

"Well, if you already think that, maybe you really should tell somebody about it."

Draco raised his eyebrows at her quizzically. "You wanna hear about it?"

Hermione nodded in response. Even though neither of the two mentioned what was the "it" they were talking about, the both of them perfectly knew what they were pertaining to.

"Okay, I'm only gonna say this once so listen carefully." Draco started and then he faced front. His eyes became glassy as if he was remembering something distant. "As impossible as it may sound, I fell in love." He paused and sarcastically shook his head while a smile was playing in his lips. "Can you believe that? Draco Malfoy, the git, has feelings and seriously managed to fall in love."

Hermione listened to him and tried very hard to not intervene. She listened with her heart and smiled at Draco, every time he would look at her, to encourage him to continue.

"There was this one girl that I loved. I didn't really acknowledge the feeling at first because I didn't even know what it meant. I haven't loved anybody except for myself and my family, that part I am honest about. Not to mention I was supposed to be doing something back then. So I tried to ignore it. But the longer I try to dismiss the feeling, the deeper I fell. I didn't know how it was possible at that time. Because my father always told me that 'If you want to do something desperately and you want it to happen, just think that it'll happen. It's all in the mind." So there I was telling myself and thinking that it wasn't what I think it was. But the harder I try to ignore her and the harder I try to tell myself that I can live without her, the more I find myself needing her. It was as if someone or something was playing with me. I realized that the things that I avoided to feel were the exact things that I end up feeling. That was when I just gave up and I just succumbed to the feelings. And so I let myself fall even though I knew that there was a chance that I'll fall hard and just end up hurting myself when I hit the ground in the end. But it turned up that when I fell, she was 'already down there waiting for me, for a long time.' Well that was what she said when I finally told her."

"Uhhhm. I hate to cut you half way but you're losing me here. Who was she again?"

"Oh. I haven't sad it yet, have I?" Draco chuckled lightly. He looked back at Hermione. The bright early morning light shone at his face and he seemed years younger. To Hermione, he looked like he was back at age 16. His face was a shadow of happiness that Hermione bet was really reflected on his face during the time he was in love and was with his special one. His eyes were gleaming with joy and completeness. "Many of you outside my House probably thought that my best friends were Crabbe and Goyle because they were always with me. And it is most likely that a bigger percentage of the Slytherins thought that my best friends were Pansy and Blaise. But the ones who always saw me in the common room and those who weren't afraid to talk to me and spend time with me, were the only ones who knew that Astoria was my best friend. I think only Pansy and Blaise managed to figure that out. Astoria and I were best friends, you know, before Astoria and I dated, that is."

"Greengrass? Astoria GREENGRASS? The other Slytherin prefect?"

"Oh no, no! Astoria Pinkpanther." Draco joked with a sarcastic smile. "Yeah, of course…Greengrass. How many Astorias in the castle do you know, Hermione?"

"I was just making sure." Hermione defended. "Go on, continue."

"Where was I? Oh, yeah. So I told her, finally, about it. Then we dated. That was during our sixth year. During that time, I was trying hard to do the job that Voldemort wanted me to do. During that time, he was holding my parents by their necks, also, threatening me that I have to do it or else 'they'll be in for a treat'. During those times when I didn't know what to do anymore, she was there to cheer me up. She was the light of my darkest days. She wasn't happy about what I was supposed to do but she understood my situation and she never criticized me for it. But still, a day never passes without her telling me that I should find another way to save my parents, and that there must be something else I could do, something that wouldn't harm the castle and everyone. But in the end, I was too weak and everything happened because of me." Draco finished. The former glow of his eyes was starting to diminish, little by little but still, his eyes stared into the distance. "And then during the summer, she never wrote or replied to my letters. We lost connection and she didn't come back for our seventh year. But after two months…"

Hermione listened intently to every word that Draco said. But half way through the second part of his story, Hermione felt a sharp stab of pain in her abdomen. She let out a stifled gasp and clutched her stomach, which passed unnoticed by Draco. She grabbed a fistful of Draco's shirt and tugged at it as she stifled another gasp.

"I got a letter from her saying that-wait, Hermione! I'm about to finish, don't interrupt." Draco said as he brushed her hand away.

There was the sound of dripping water and then Hermione clutched Draco's sleeve and tugged at it again, harder.

"I'm gonna finish it. Don't interr-"

"My water just b-broke, you idiot!" Hermione managed to croak, at last and then she screamed.

"What? What do you mean? Why are you screaming? What the heck is happening?"

"F*ck, Draco! I'm about to give birth! Do something!" Then another ear-shattering scream.

"What? What'll I do?" By that time, Draco was already on his feet and desperately flinging his arms this way and that.

Meanwhile, Hermione was clutching her tummy frantically. "Bring me to the hospital this instant!"

"C-c-can you apparate to St. Mungo's? I'll side you along, if you want." Draco hysterically reached inside his pocket and retrieved his wand.

"Do I look like I can apparate to you?"

"Let's go, I'll bring you to the Hospital Wing, then. Madam Pomfrey will know what to do." Draco outstretched his arms and was about to wrap them around Hermione when the latter smacked his hand away.

"Hospital Wing? Are you kidding me? That's on the third floor of the hospital tower at the other side of the castle!"

"You're right." Draco reasoned. He was already sweating beads, trying to figure out what to do. Hermione, as well, was already sweating in pain. "We'll go to McGonagall's office, instead. Then we'll floo-"

"Floo? I can't floo-"

"What do you want me to do? You can't apparate, you can't make it to the Hospital Wing and you don't want to floo! What do you want me to do? I am not a saint!" Draco's face was contorted in panic while Hermione's was contorted in pain.

Hermione got a hold of Draco's collar and pulled him down, hard, to level her face. "Do something. NOW!"

Draco was never afraid of Hermione-well, count out their third year when she punched him-but now, he was. The tone of her order was so authoritative. He only heard that tone when she had been telling Potter and Weasley what should be done for the thirtieth time during their potions class but they still couldn't do it right. And that tone of her voice sent shivers down his spine. He outstretched his shaking arms and wrapped them around her. He started pulling her from the bench then carried her and leaned her against his chest. To say that she was heavy was an understatement. He didn't think that a petite woman like her could weigh that much but then again; she was pregnant, wasn't she? Good thing he had a good figure due to his Quidditch trainings. But still, he carried her with difficulty. He was already starting to walk towards the castle doors when Hermione suddenly spoke, or croaked, to be exact.

"Are you a wizard or not? You do now t-that you have a w-w-wand, right?"

"Oh, shit! I forgot. I was panicking, okay? Why didn't you say earlier? You could've spared me from lifting you. You're hea-" But he didn't dare say it; not when she was carrying a vicious witch who's in labor, not to mention that the witch was Hermione Granger. "Never mind." He gently put her down once again in one of the benches then he quickly took his wand out and cast a hovering charm on her.

The journey to the Headmistress' office was ear-shattering. How did Draco come up with that adjective? It was easy, actually. During the whole tiresome journey to their destination, Hermione kept screaming at the top of her lungs. It was a good thing that Draco didn't carry her and used a hovering charm, instead. That way, she wasn't able to clutch any part of his body because he was sure that if she had the chance, she would be able to rip him apart. Nevertheless, having distance between them didn't help much because by the time they reached the gargoyle, Draco was quite sure his ears were close to bleeding.

"Dumbledore!" Draco shouted at the gargoyle as he jogged as fast as he could towards it, with Hermione hovering close behind him. Hermione second his motion by giving out another scream. The gargoyle moved aside and revealed the spiral staircase due to the correct password that Draco supplied. But if you'd ask Draco, he'd probably say that the leaping of the gargoyle was most likely due to Hermione's scream that surely scared the hell out of it.

"Headmistress! Hermione's in labor, she needs help! Professor McGonagall?" An empty office greeted them once Draco pushed the doors.

"The Headmistress isn't here at the moment, Mr. Malfoy." The portrait of Professor Snape talked to him. "She left early to go to the Ministry. I can see that Ms. Granger is already in labor?"

"I don't want to sound rude, professor. But I think that's kind of obvious! She has been screaming her lungs out for a quarter of an hour now." Draco managed to say as he tried to avoid Hermione's feet that were obviously trying to reach any part of him and ready to kick the daylights out of his eyes. "Professor McGonagall isn't here? Then how come the gargoyle permitted us entry?"

"It is likely that Professor McGonagall was prepared for this day and arranged the securities of her office to let Ms. Granger enter. And seeing as you're the closest to Ms. Granger out of all the faculty members, she perceived that you will be the one to help her during the situation. That is probably why the gargoyle gave you permission to enter also." Draco hadn't noticed Professor Dumbledore's portrait wake up. Apparently, he was woken up by Hermione's frantic screams.

"I hate to c-c-cut this l-l-little get together, p-p-professor. But I'm in labor; I just wanted to remind you in case y-y-you've forgotten. I need to be brought to the h-h-hospital. DO SOMETHING, DRACO!" Hermione's former soft voice while she addressed Dumbledore was quickly extinguished as soon as she turned to Draco. Needless to say, Draco winced at the loudness of her voice when she addressed him but her voice seemed much weaker compared to her loud yelling a moment ago.

"We have to go. Can we use the Floo Network, professor?" Draco quickly addressed Professor Dumbledore.

The former Headmaster smiled and his eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles. "Of course, Draco. Go, a wonderful event awaits."

Draco nodded gratefully at their former Headmasters and gently lowered Hermione from hovering in the air. He assisted her through the grate. Draco positioned Hermione to face him and he took her shaking arms and hooked them securely around his neck. He was also trembling as he clutched her closer to him and wrapped an arm around her waist. He was already desperate to bring her to the Hospital immediately. By that time, she had stopped screaming and yelling at Draco. All she could do was whimper and shudder and she looked so pale against the faint light coming from the office window.

Draco felt the pang of panic. "Don't worry. I'm here. I'll take care of you." He whispered at her ear.

Hermione smiled weakly in return. She smacked Draco's chest but due to her weak state, it only felt like a tap to Draco. "You better. Or I'll kill you."

Draco took a handful of Floo powder and threw it at their feet. "St. Mungo's!" He shouted at the top of his voice as he released the floo powder. As soon as his hand was free of the powder, he immediately hugged Hermione. He wrapped his left arm tightly around her as green flames continued to engulf them. His right arm rested on her head and he pulled her closer. He held her head tightly at the crook of his neck to prevent her from inhaling the soot that was surrounding them as they spun and spun through the darkness. He just hoped that by holding her tight, she wouldn't feel the dizziness of the travel.

After a few seconds of spinning, Draco felt his feet land on the floor. He opened his eyes and was suddenly blinded by bright white light. He pulled Hermione out the grate as he coughed up the soot he inhaled. Hermione, on the other hand, didn't cough up ashes, which was a good sign. Draco looked around the place and his eyes immediately caught a running medi-witch. "Hey, you!"

The medi-witch jogged towards the Draco. "What is the matter, Mister?"

"Take her to the delivery room, she's giving birth! Go! Fast!" Draco shouted at the medi-witch. The said hospital crew looked at him and then at the figure he was still hugging tightly. "What are you waiting for?"

The witch seemed to be scared by Draco's powerful husky voice because she summoned a floating stretcher immediately out of nowhere and waved her wand. Hermione hovered in mid-air and gently descended to the waiting stretcher.

Draco heard Hermione release a sigh of relief as her back landed at the stretcher. He also released a puff of breath he didn't even realize he was holding before his hand was pulled by another person's hand.

"Bridget, what are you doing just standing there? This woman is giving birth; she needs immediate attention. You, my boy! Come with us!" Another healer appeared and tugged at Draco's hand. Hermione's stretcher zoomed towards the door straight ahead.

Draco thought his arm would go off at the desperate tugging of the witch.

The healer was bigger than him, fatter even. Her voice was low and husky; Draco thought she was a man. But when "Bridget" addressed her as 'ma'am' he became sure she was a woman. "Where are you taking me?"

"You're the woman's husband, aren't you?"

"No!" Draco immediately denied. They were near the door already. Hermione already went through the door with the other medi-witch just a while ago.

The healer who was clutching his hand abruptly stopped running and let go of his hand. Due to the speed of their sprint, the sudden halt nearly caused Draco to fall face first to the floor. But his Quidditch training weren't for nothing. He had great sense of balance. "What?"

"You're not her husband?"

"No!"

"Then, why did you follow?"

"I did not follow you, are you insane? You pulled me here; in case you're forgotten, I'm reminding you." Draco irritably answered. He wrung his wrist where the witch clutched it so tightly. Red hand-shaped marks could now be seen at his wrist.

"Where's her husband, then?"

"She doesn't have a husband."

The healer contemplated his answer for a moment and then started dragging him once more. Draco tried to pull his hand away from the healer's tight grip but it was no use. She was stronger than him.

"What do you want, now, you-"

"Shut up and wear this." The healer instructed as she waved her wand and a white robe and a white cloth appeared in her hand.

"What is this?" Draco asked as he unveiled the robe.

The healer shook her head, apparently irritated. She gave her wand another wave and the clothes in Draco's hand vanished. A millisecond after, the clothes appeared again but this time, it appeared on Draco's body. The robe was until his knee, just like the witch's and the white cloth that he saw a while ago was now covering his nose and mouth. "What is this?" He asked, his voice muffled by the cloth.

"Hospital precautions. Now, come on. You're not the husband but you'll do. She'll need support." With that last sentence, the healer entered the door with Draco right behind her.

If it was possible, the room they entered was brighter than the place they came from. In the middle of the room, there was a large white bed where Hermione was lying. Well, more like writhing and panting with lots of screaming. Draco immediately ran to her side. Draco looked up; directly above Hermione was a circular glass. It was where the bright light was coming from. On the foot of the bed, was another healer, an older one.

"What happens now?" Draco innocently asked. The healer, who dragged Draco to the room, took the spot beside the older healer and examined something from beneath the white sheets that covered Hermione's lower body. But what Draco found odd was that it wasn't really covering her. It only covered her stomach area and then the rest was hovering in mid-air. It was lifted so high that Draco could only see the head of the Healers examining Hermione.

At first, Draco thought of checking out for himself what they were looking at beneath the sheets. But when he was about to go and look, he realized the answer to his question. His eyes widened in shock. He was that close to seeing that. Good thing he didn't. So he just stayed where he was and shook the thought off his head.

Hermione suddenly winced but didn't yell. Instead, she clutched Draco's hand and gripped it tight.

"Okay, Ms. Granger. When I say, push, you push, okay?" The older healer instructed. Hermione nodded while biting her lips so hard that Draco dreaded that she might cut them.

While Hermione inhaled and exhaled, Draco looked at the table beside the bed. He found a silver bowl filled with water and a folded piece of cloth lying beside the bowl. He touched the water in the bowl and realized that it was warm. While his right hand was being clutched by the heavy breathing Hermione, he took the towel in his left hand and dipped it slightly in the water. Then, he wiped Hermione's forehead with it. The gesture seemed to relax her so he continued with the task. At least he could help even a little. He was on the third repetition of his task when the healer said "Push."

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Hermione let out a wave of loud scream.

"Ooooooooooowwwwwwwww!" Draco let out a howl of pain.

Hermione screamed because of the pain she felt as she pushed.

Draco screamed for his hand. Hermione was clutching it so tightly that her nails dug through the pale skin of his hand. Draco dropped the piece of towel as he winced in pain. Hermione only loosened her grip when she relaxed once more.

The other healer threw a sharp look at Draco.

"What? She was killing my hand!" Draco defended himself.

When the huge healer was about to say something, the old healer addressed Draco without even looking at him. "I believe you're not her husband? Usually, while they push they shout something along the lines of 'you'll never be able to touch me again at night, you bastard.' But this one didn't."

"I'm not her husband. I'm not the father either." Draco answered. The old healer just nodded and then she said "Push" once again.

This time, Draco was ready. At the moment Hermione's hand closed tightly around his, he didn't scream. Instead, he bit his left knuckle to prevent himself from yelling.

The process of pushing, digging of nails and biting of knuckles continued for a few minutes. It ended when a small and soft cry echoed through the walls of the bright room. By that time, Draco's left knuckle was already full of teeth-like marks while the right was full of nail-like marks. Then, the old healer revealed a small crying baby wrapped in another piece of white cloth. It was obvious that they already cleaned the baby because when the other healer took it from the arms of the old healer and passed it to Hermione, the baby was no longer bloody and the umbilical cord was already cut.

"Congratulations, it's a boy." The huge healer said with a fond smile as she passed the baby, carefully, to Hermione. After passing the baby to her, they did something else to Hermione and after a few moments, they lowered the sheets and left the three of them silently.

"Wow. You're a mother." Draco said with a wide grin. Never in his life had he imagined that he will witness the arrival of a new being. He never thought it would be that joyous. Yes, he wasn't the father but looking at Hermione and the baby made him happy as well. Love and happiness flooded his very being at the sight of the little archangel.

"Yes, I am." Tears of joy freely flooded Hermione's eyes as she gazed at her own son. Her eyes were twinkling with contentment and extreme happiness.

The baby looked like the combination of Hermione and Harry. He had a thin mane of brown hair. Unlike most babies' hair, the boy's hair did not hug his scalp and so Hermione had the faintest idea that her son's hair would surely be unruly in the future, just like his father's. The baby's skin was a bit darker than Harry's pale skin but a bit lighter than Hermione's creamy complexion.

"My baby. Welcome to the world, Aiden Nathaniel Granger." The baby seemed to like his name. Aiden Nathaniel, whose eyes remained closed a while ago, smiled slightly at the sound of Hermione's voice and he opened his eyes. Hermione let out a gasp of surprise as she saw her son's eyes. They were bright green, an exact copy of Harry's own emerald orbs. The baby, still blind, outstretched his small hands and clutched the air. Not long after, the hands found Hermione's cheeks. Hermione's eyes closed the touch.

"Hey, hey, hey. He's got Potter's eyes. And…he recognizes your voice. You were right. Talking to him while he was still in your tummy is essential. Wow. Just, wow." Draco, too, was overwhelmed with emotions. "Aiden Nathaniel, eh? Why that?

"It means little fire and gift from God."

Draco nodded approvingly at Hermione. He lifted a finger and gently touched the cheek of the baby. Nathan squirmed at Draco's touch. "Cute." Draco muttered under his breath.

"Thank you, Draco." Hermione turned to him. She smiled at him through her tears.

Draco didn't look up from the baby, who was now gripping his finger. "H-huh?"

"I said thank you. For taking care of me all those months. Thank you for being there. Thank you for bringing me here and staying with me." By then, another fresh wave of tears flowed down from her eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous." Draco peeled his eyes from the baby and looked at Hermione's face, instead. He wiped her tears with his hand. "I'm happy I helped. And thank as well, for letting me be a part of this."

"I'm happy you are a part of this."

Draco was about to answer when the door suddenly opened. The huge healer, who assisted the delivery a while ago, entered with a box clutched in her hands. "Congratulations again, Ms. Granger. I reckon he's your first-born?" Hermione nodded in response. "I'm happy for you. Now, we will need to do the necessary business. I expect you have named the baby?"

"Aiden Nathaniel Granger." Draco was the one who answered. He still couldn't contain his happiness. His smile was so wide that it nearly, literally reached his ears. That look made him appear goofy.

The healer nodded in appreciation and then sauntered beside Hermione's bed. Because the baby was held in Hermione's left arm where Draco was positioned, she walked towards the left side. She held out and arm and reached for the baby's hand. She opened the box and Draco saw that the box was merely a stamp pad. The healer took the baby's hand and pressed it against the pillow-like thingy inside the box. The baby didn't cry at the gesture of the healer, probably sensing no harm in the touch of the witch. The ink clung to the baby's skin and the healer took out a piece of paper from her uniform's pocket. The paper had small boxes, lines and a few words imprinted on both sides. The healer pressed the baby's hand against the lower right of the back side of the paper and the ink from Nathan's hand transferred to the paper. "This is how we keep record of all the wizard births here. We simply take a hand mark of the baby and that's it." The healer explained as letters started to appear in the parchment.

Hermione glanced at it and her eyes widened in surprise. Right there, beneath the line with the words: **Name: Aiden Nathaniel Granger**, were the words she never expected to see. "How did you-"

The healer didn't need her to finish her question. She knew what she would ask. "How did I know? I didn't, Ms. Granger. Magic works in its own way. This is how we keep record. Names have their own power and by calling the baby by his name for the first time, you merely etched it in his very being. By taking his hand mark and pressing it against this paper, the name, the parents-who were detected by magic from the genes of the baby- and the other details, will be magically written on this piece of parchment. This is your son's certificate of live birth. It can never be tainted by anything. The paper and ink will never rip or fade. This paper will remain the same forever as a sign of life.

Draco who was listening intently to the healer's words, suddenly asked. "So you mean to say, a mother can never lie about the baby's identity?"

"Yes, that is the thought why this document is being filled-up by magic. That is also the reason why Hogwarts and the other schools use St. Mungo's records when it comes to their students' identities." The healer explained patiently. By that time, she had already released Nathan's hand and the baby was snuggling comfortably against Hermione's chest.

"What do you mean? What Hogwarts and the other schools?" Draco was the one who asked.

"There will be two copies of this document. One for you and one for our records, which we keep in our vaults. Once a new document has been stacked there, it immediately appears in the school records of all the schools of magic around the globe. Take Hogwarts for example. Ever year, a member of the staff checks their record and sees if somebody close to the proximity of the school is turning eleven. Then, they send the school letter to the said home of the student." The healer paused and then meaningfully continued. "Keep this document, Ms. Granger. This is important. Never leave it laying carelessly anywhere or you might regret it someday." The healer gave Hermione a knowing look that Hermione didn't understand. She gave the paper to her and left without another word.

The deep breathing of Nathan could be heard as Draco gazed at the retreating figure of the healer, wondering what she meant with her last words; also as Hermione stared at four words written in bold letters underneath the name of her son. The words…**Father: Harry James Potter…**

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Next on First and Last…

Ron and Ginny visits Hermione and the baby. What'll they say when they see Draco there and having a good time, singing the baby to sleep? Will there be another row? Or will they accept him?

Hermione visits the Burrow and finally introduces his son to the family. But wait…Why is Draco with her and Nathan? What will the Weasleys think?

Tune in next time to find out!

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READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! Tell me what you think!


	32. Weasley

**Disclaimer:** Nobody owns the Harry Potter series except for JKR; although, many people are dreaming to own it. The rights remain to JK.

**AN:** I know I'm taking kinda long to update. I'm updating about once a week or once every two weeks. And because of that, I'm really sorry. But no worries, guys, Christmas vacation's coming and during the break, I'll be updating as much as possible. So don't throw dung bombs at me please. LOL!

**Abc: **Well, Ron's not one of the main characters in this fic. But I'll try to expand his involvement a bit. Thanks for the review.

**Pixies114: **Thanks for the very kind review. Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it.

**The-Romantic 23: **Errrm. I hate to disappoint you, but no. Draco and Hermione are just friends. And Harry will be left in the dark…for now…Thanks for the review! I hope you keep reading.

**Miyakosaku: **Wow, you're back! Cool! Oh and Scorpius is non-existent in this fic, sadly. I'm sorry but he can't be here. But wait for the next chapters and you'll be in for a treat. Thanks for reviewing!

**Erica: **Yeah, it is pretty sad that Harry wasn't with her the whole time but she wasn't completely alone. Draco was there. And trust me; she wouldn't accept him that fast. Thank you for reading my story and I hope you read it until the end. Thank you so much!

**Pawsrule: **Really, you think so? Hmmmm. Maybe we can make this into a Dramione fic. Joking, I'm just kidding. Yes, there are sweet moments between them and I kinda like it. But Hermione's really for Harry. Maybe we can find somebody else for Draco, although, I don't know who, any ideas?

**Scabbers1957: **Wow, dude, you're back! It's been a long time. Welcome back! LOL! Thank you for the review and I hope you continue reading again and God bless!

**The-Pure-Hearted-Romanticist: **Good thing you changed it! High five! And about that very, very long review of yours, thank you very much. As of now, you hold the record for the longest review ever! Thank you for the kind words, Eckay and I hope you start your own story soon. Let me read it, okay? God Bless! Love ya, friend! Muaaaaah! I miss you!

**Ambereyes55: **Thank you for the support and for reviewing once more. Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**TwiTrek: **Thanks! You want Draco to get Astoria back? Okay, then. Your wish will be fulfilled. LOL! And sorry because Harry wasn't there for the birth. It is essential. And he'll be back soon, but only in our time. I just don't know how long in the story's time. Might be days, weeks, months or even years, I don't really know. Thanks again!

**Proudtobeatheatrekid: **Oh my wizard God! I forgot about muggle-borns! URG! You're right. Hmmm, I'm sorry. It's too late to fix that now. . But anyway, thanks for still pointing that out! About the Godfather, can the baby have two Godfathers? Enlighten me please! Thanks!

**Craziegal301: **I've already sent you a reply but I still want to include you here. Again, sorry if my ANs are so long. You can skip it if you want. I promise I'll just make it up to you by uploading more chapters for the next weeks. Sorry again and thank you!

**Svn7777777: **Once again, your review made me smile. Thank you very much for the kind comment. I really love it! You're right, there will be more twist and conflicts but we'll see how Harry and Hermione will overcome all of that. I'll try to update more often, I promise! Thanks again and God bless ya!

Chapter 32:

"Wow, I learned something today." Draco murmured as he gazed once again at Nathan. The medi-witch had just left them once more.

Hermione was staring intently at the paper in her hand as if she was trying to dissolve it with her stare. She suddenly looked up at the sound of Draco's voice. "W-w-what?"

"I learned all about that Birth Certificate. I didn't know about that before. Did you?"

"No. I'm not really into medi-wizardry." Hermione explained and then returned her gaze at the paper in her hand. The medi-witch was right. She shouldn't leave that piece of paper lying carelessly around. She should be careful that nobody finds out who her baby's father was.

Draco nodded approvingly. "Yeah, me too. Hey, can I take a look?" Draco held his hand out for the paper.

Hermione passed it to him. There was no point in not giving the paper to Draco. After all, he knew all about the father of the baby.

Draco scanned the paper and took in the information written on it.

**Registration No.: 1011475EW**

**Birth Date: Seventh of February 1998**

**Time: 06:45 am**

**Place of Birth: St. Mungo's Institute for Magical Maladies**

**Name: Aiden Nathaniel Granger Sex: Male**

**Father: Harry James Potter Age: 18**

**Father's Occupation: The French Falcons Quidditch Team Seeker**

**Mother: Hermione Jean Granger Age: 18**

**Mother's Occupation: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Transfigurations Professor**

**Blood Type: Type O**

**Blood Status: Half-Blood**

**Hair Color: Brown**

**Eye Color: Green**

**Date of Registration: Seventh of February 1998**

**Medi-witch Registrar: Brenda Andelar**

Draco finished reading the certificate and returned his eyes to Hermione. "So the medi-witch's name-the one who just went out- is Brenda Andelar?" Draco inquired. A teasing smirk, slowly forming in his lips.

"It seems like it. Why? Why are you smiling?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. I just found it odd. She didn't look like a Brenda to me. She looks more like a Brandon ." Draco roared with laughter, his shoulders shaking as he laughed.

"Shhhhhh! She might hear you! She might be just outside!" Hermione warned him but she also couldn't help a grin tugging at her lips. Nathan, still cuddled comfortably against Hermione's chest, seemed to enjoy the sound of Draco's laugh; for the baby also laughed a high-pitched laugh. "Hey, he likes your laugh."

Draco smiled adoringly at the little baby and then he held out his arms. "Who doesn't? Anyway, can I hold him?"

Hermione took the baby in her arms and gave him to Draco. The baby really seemed to like Draco's touch; for the baby quickly snuggled cozily against Draco's wide arms. "He's so adorable. I never thought a baby could be this cute."

"You've never seen a baby before?" Hermione asked with wide eyes.

Draco looked back at her with raised eyebrows. "I haven't. Is there something wrong with that?" He didn't wait for her answer. He returned his stare to Nathan. Draco gently and slowly swayed left and right as Nathan gave a huge yawn. He squirmed deeper into Draco's arms and closed his eyes lazily. "It looks like he's falling asleep." And then Draco did something that amused Hermione, but at the same time, made her smile fondly at him. Draco hummed Nathan to sleep as he swayed to the left and then the right.

After a few minutes of hearing Draco's soft humming, Nathan fell asleep. The sound of his low, slow breathing sounded like music to the ears of the two adults adoringly watching him.

And then, a loud bang indicated that someone had entered the threshold.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted as he thundered inside the room. He threw one look at the scene in front of him and without another word; he pointed his wand at Draco. "What are you doing to Hermione's baby?"

"Whoa!" Draco blurted as he turned his back towards Ron's raised wand in order to shield Nathan from its tip. "Careful with that, Weasley." He said as he whipped out his wand from his pocket and cast Muffliato around Nathan to prevent him from hearing the shouts that he was sure were coming.

"I said what are you doing with the baby?" Ron repeated his question as his wand trembled in his tight grip. Just then, another person entered through the door and took in the scene in front of her with wide eyes.

"What's happening here?" Ginny asked incredulously as she looked at Ron's red face then at Draco's pale one and then back at Ron.

"Ron, lower your wand." Hermione was the one who broke the silence. During the time that Ron was pointing his wand at Draco who was holding her son, Hermione was hurriedly looking for her wand, which was now pointed directly at Ron.

Ron took his eyes away from Draco and shifted them to Hermione. At the moment his eyes fell upon her, he immediately saw her wand trained and pointed right at his chest. "Hermione, what the-"

"I said lower your wand, Ron." Hermione cut him off.

"But this git's the one holding your baby, Hermione-

"That's, sort of, the point, Ron." This time, Ginny was the one who cut him off. She placed her hand over Ron's wrist and slowly lowered it. "You could hurt the baby with just a wrong move."

As soon as Ron's wand was lowered, Draco released a sigh of relief and faced them once more.

Hermione, on the other hand, looked sharply at Ron, but, nevertheless, lowered her wand to her lap.

"I don't understand, Hermione! Explain this to me! Why is Draco Malfoy here?" Ron shouted and flung his right arm to point at Draco.

"Ron, don't shout. He's just holding him, don't worry." Hermione, who had calmed down, simply answered Ron as if that little answer was enough to answer all the questions surrounding his mind.

"Don't worry? This is Draco Malfoy, Hermione. This man is Draco Malfoy, DRACO MALFOY! " Ron repeated the name again and again, fearing that Hermione didn't hear him the first time. "What is he doing here?" Ron demanded for the last time, his face reddening with rage.

"He was the one who brought me here."

"Him? This Slytherin git? Helped you? Right and pigs can fly. Humour me, Hermione." Ron said with a tone of sarcasm.

"That's not so hard to believe. He's been the one helping me all this time." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

Ron's mouth dropped slack. His eyebrows crunched in bewilderment. "Helping you? Are you sure he's helping you? You and I both know what this slimy git has been doing to us since our childhood. And now you're telling me he's got a stitch of a nerve to be helpful? What has gotten into you? If Malfoy's doing something, I'm pretty sure that thing is very far from helpful." Draco's name rolled out of Ron's tongue in a disgusted way once more.

Draco's jaw tightened and he went stiff. He certainly didn't like the way Ron talked about him as if he wasn't there, hearing everything he was saying. But the way Hermione defended him, it caught him by surprise. Surely, the both of them had already built a foundation of friendship over the months, but seeing her defending him from her best friend, Ron, it was certainly astonishing. But all the same, he was very thankful.

"How could you say that? You don't even know him-"

"You very well know that I do, Hermione-"

"I meant the real him!"

Ron and Hermione continued to shout at each other. Draco desperately wished that his Muffliato charm was working well. Because he was sure that the degree of loudness of the two's voice could surely break a window any moment, much less wake up a sleeping baby.

"And what? You're telling me that you know the real him? That the real him is a good man? Seriously, Hermione, have you forgotten every insult he threw at you?" Ron argued once more. By this time, his face was as red with rage as his flaming Weasley hair.

"He has changed. Can't you understand that? There is such a word as redemption, Ron, look it up in the dictionary!"

"And how are you sure that he's not just using you and your trust for another crime he's going to commit?" Accused Ron.

"I trust him because I've seen him change in front of my eyes. He's been there for me when I needed someone. He's the one who helped me when I needed help and he's the one defended me when I needed to be defended!" Hermione panted. She was already breathing hard and it was surely not good for her.

Draco decided to cut in, "Hermione, it's okay. This is not good for you. I'll just go. You need peace and quiet and I'm sure there won't be any while I'm here. It's okay, really. Thank you." He whispered in her ear, making sure that the last words were only audible to her.

"Good idea." Ron replied coldly. Even though Malfoy's voice wasn't too loud, he had heard the first part of his statement and he thought it was a great idea.

Draco ignored Ron. He was about to gently lower Nathan down beside Hermione on the bed when he suddenly thought better of it. He feared that Hermione's trembling might wake the baby. So instead, he walked towards Ginny and handed the baby to her.

Ginny, who was speechless while Ron and Hermione were arguing, was held even more shocked when Draco addressed her.

"Ginny." Draco murmured to Ginny and held out the sleeping baby. He didn't miss Ron's grunt and the disgusted look on his face when he called her by her name. Draco would be glad to admit that if they were not on that situation, he would've shouted at Weasley and defended himself. He would've given him a punch or two in that long nose of his, even. But holding Nathan in his arms held him to his place and made him calm down. He realized that being involved in the argument wouldn't do anything good.

Being called by her first name by Draco Malfoy didn't diminish Ginny's shock. Instead, it intensified it even more. For the first time in her life, she had heard him call her by her first name. And not only that, he said her name without a hint of arrogance and disgust in his voice. That caught her by surprise. But even so, her mind was calm enough to function right. So after a few seconds only, she was able to gather her thoughts again and slowly took Nathan from Draco.

Draco was on his way to the door when Hermione spoke once again. "No, Draco. You're not leaving

"What?" Ron's voice boomed even louder than a fog horn.

"You heard me, he's not leaving."

Just like old times, when Ron and Hermione argued, you could bet neither of them would back out that easily. The fight wasn't over yet.

"Hermione, what has gotten into you? Why are you doing this? Why are you defending him? Have you forgotten the fact that he is Harry's enemy? You're even letting him hold Harry's baby, how could you? How could you betray him like this? How could you do this to him?"

The tensed aura inside the room suddenly turned even worse as soon as Ron said his last sentence. Ron might not have realized it but Draco and Ginny did. Ron had hit the bull's eye. Even Ginny's jaw dropped open in surprise when she heard Ron drag Harry into the argument.

Draco, who was standing beside Ginny, was rendered speechless. His attempt to leave the room flew out of his mind when he heard what Weasley had said. He was suddenly glued to where he stood. He knew that it was not a good thing to say to Hermione at the moment. He knew for a fact that that certain topic had a bad effect on her, what with all those crying in the Astronomy tower when she had read that Potter was about to get married without even telling any of his best friends. Mind you, Draco was sure, there was something more than just hurt in her words when she was crying and talking that night.

Hermione's eyes flared as she moved nearer the edge of her bed. Her chest was heaving up and down. Surely, the storm was about to come. "Betraying him?" Hermione gave a sarcastic laugh. But it was not the annoying kind, it was the scary kind. "You think? I can't see why I'm betraying him. Kindly enlighten me, Ronald." Hermione dared Ron.

Ron was still not backing out. It was not because he couldn't forgive. No, that's definitely not it. He was just scared for her. After all, they've known Malfoy since they were kids and being close to him meant danger. He shuddered to think of what it would mean to be close to him. Surely, it could mean danger. "Because…because…b-b-because… he's Harry's enemy."

"Can't think of any other answer, Ron?" Hermione's eyebrows were raised in inquiry. But then she suddenly sighed and continued with a calmer voice. "Listen to me. I'm sorry but I don't look at the person's past to judge him. I take credit of what's happening now, of what's in front of my eyes and what I've witnessed. Because I'm telling you, even though Draco has done so many arrogant things, dangerous even, when we were younger, it's far from what he really is now." Hermione explained; her voice no longer loud. It was calm as if she was explaining a very important piece of information to child.

Draco's face went blank. Hermione's words reverberated repeatedly through his mind. 'It's far from who he really is now….' He wondered; was that really what Hermione thought of him? Had he really changed over the past few months? The answer to his question, he didn't know.

Hermione continued explaining to Ron. It seemed as if it was speaking and begging for Ron to understand. "He was the one who helped me during the past months and it was in the course of those months that I saw who he really is. He has changed, Ron, believe me." Hermione turned her eyes to Draco and looked directly into his gray eyes. "He has changed."

Ron and Ginny followed suit. Their eyes traveled towards Draco's as if trying to see the change that Hermione was seeing. Ron's lingered for a moment and then traveled back to Hermione's face.

Draco didn't know what to think. Different thoughts were going a hundred miles per hour in his mind. He didn't know what to believe. He, himself, didn't believe that he had changed. For him, he was still the same Malfoy before. He couldn't change. He was sure of that because until that time, he still had nightmares about that night on the Astronomy Tower a couple of years back. If he had changed, why was guilt still lingering in his very veins? "Have I?" He accidentally murmured.

Ron didn't miss the whisper released by Malfoy. He still didn't believe Hermione. How could this man change? Malfoy? Even he, himself didn't believe that he had changed why would Ron believe it? But even so, at that very moment, he was afraid that he was on the verge of believing Hermione.

"And Harry…" Hermione continued. "Where is he now, Ron?"

Ron had no answer. For once in this argument of theirs, he decided to stay quiet. He didn't know what to say. Where, indeed, was Harry? _Probably somewhere, marrying Cho Chang. _His thoughts rang in the back of his mind. Now that he thought of it, he, himself was angry at Harry. He had seen the article as well and he was hurt that Harry decided to do something as important as proposing without even telling them. Surely, he ought to tell them. They were his best friends after all. And didn't the two of them promise that if ever the other was going to marry already, the other would be the best man?

"Ron, I'm not saying that you should be angry at Harry. I'm just telling the truth. Harry just wasn't here. Draco was the one who defended me while Harry was out there, living his life away from all of us. Draco was the one who listened and stuck with me when I needed Harry the most. Draco was the one who took care of me while Harry was away and taking care of someone else. And Draco was the one who held my hand and stayed while Harry's son was being delivered into this world. Draco fulfilled what Harry couldn't and didn't. As I've said earlier, I don't look at the past to judge a person. I look at what's happening now and what's here in front of me. And right now, in my eyes, Ron, Draco's the better man." Hermione trailed off, her eyes stinging with unwanted tears.

During the past months, Hermione thought she was the one to blame. She wasn't able to tell Harry about their son even though she tried so many times. She had failed and she blamed herself for it. And that night when it all began, that very same night that something happened between them, she also blamed herself for it. She was the one who had a straight mind during that night and she let it happen. Harry had been drunk. He didn't know what he was doing. But she, on the other hand, knew very well what was happening and she still let it happen even though it was all wrong. It was her fault. That was what she told herself all those times. She had always blamed herself. But that night on the Astronomy tower changed everything. What she had read made her see everything in a new light. Yes, she knew what was happening during that night and she were to blame because she didn't put a stop to it. What happened between them was entirely her fault but what happened afterwards, wasn't. That was the clear thought in her mind.

Hermione was sure that what Harry did that morning when he woke up was his choice. He was the coward, not her. He ran away from what he did. She thought Harry was different. All their lives, they had been best friends and she thought all those times that he was different. He was responsible and brave enough to face the consequences of his acts, whether he knew what he was doing or not. He always did everything for other people's sake; it was part of his hero complex. But it appeared that she was wrong. He wasn't the hero all the time. He was brave, but wasn't brave enough to face the truth that he just slept with his best friend even though Cho was his real girlfriend. That was why he ran away and hid from it all. He didn't even contact any of them. The last time she heard from him was when he sent a thanks card during his birthday. Hermione was prevented to contact him, but she was sure he wasn't. Besides, if he really wanted to, nobody could prevent him to do it. Maybe he really didn't want to in the first place. Maybe he'd wanted to forget all about it and pretend that nothing happened.

That was what Hermione thought. Her mind was pushing her to believe it; that it wasn't her fault and that Harry was the one to blame. He was a coward. But her heart scolded her. Her heart wanted to believe that something had gone wrong somewhere and that he really didn't intend to leave her. But all the evidences were displaying themselves in front of her. He'd left, he didn't say anything before he left, he didn't contact them all those months and he was about to get married. And so Hermione forced herself to believe what was there in front of her.

During Hermione's mental monologue, the three didn't say anything. The effect of what Hermione just said, hit them like a wave.

Ginny was shocked to know that her best friend had been hiding all those hatred for Harry. She thought Hermione understood his actions. But looking back on it, she had a point. But deep inside Ginny's mind, she had the littlest hint that something somewhere had gone wrong between them. That was the very reason why she convinced Hermione to talk to Harry, to clear everything. Because there was a small part in her mind that kept telling her that something was really wrong.

Ron was speechless. He didn't want to admit it, but Hermione was right. Harry was nowhere while all of this was happening. He was gone when Hermione needed him the most. He ran away from his responsibilities. And Draco Malfoy, Draco "Ferret" Malfoy was the one who performed all the duties in Harry's behalf. He was the one who caught Hermione when Harry dropped her. Ron spared a glance towards Malfoy. _Did he really…change?_ Still, he didn't know the answer and it looked like Draco didn't know ether. They both had to find out.

Even though Hermione had been defending her the whole time, Draco was still caught off guard by her last statement. He didn't see it coming. _I am a better man? _He continued to ask himself. How could he be? He was the one who supported Voldemort and he was the one who caused the death of Albus Dumbledore. Potter was the one who stopped Voldemort and he was the one who stuck with Dumbledore until the end. Wasn't Potter at the tower when it all happened? Comparing the two of them, the death eater and the Chosen one, how could he be better than Potter? It was too much for him to process.

It was too much for everyone to process. That was evident because everybody fell silent.

Ginny was blankly staring at Nathan as the baby slept. But her eyes had a glassy look as if she was thinking very hard.

Ron had silently gone to the corner of the room, where a couch was conveniently placed. He silently sat down and leaned his head against its back. He closed his eyes and covered them with his arms as he tried to process everything that had happened.

Hermione was silent as well. Her eyes were hidden behind her bangs. She was looking downwards to her lap as drops of glistening liquid noiselessly dripped onto it.

Draco stood, staring at everyone's silent expressions. He stared at Ron and wondered if he had believed what Hermione had said. He glanced at Nathan and wondered whether the baby had heard all his mother's words about his father. He looked at Ginny and wondered what she was thinking at that moment. Finally, he glazed at Hermione and wondered whether she meant everything she had said. After a few moments of surveying everyone, he finally spoke. "I think you guys have to talk. I'll just go. I'll tell everyone at Hogwarts about Nathan. I'll be back….when everything's…okay, Hermione." He wanted to say more to Hermione. He wanted to thank her for standing up for him and believing in him. But he contained himself. This was not the right time. Some other time would do. And so he didn't wait for an answer that he was sure wasn't coming. He left the room and closed the door behind him.

The silence continued even after Draco had left. Ron didn't move and continued leaning against the couch. Hermione continued shedding silent tears. Ginny continued staring blankly at Nathan. But after a few more moments she went beside Hermione's bed and sat down with Nathan still sleeping soundly between her arms.

"I didn't know you're holding that much hatred for Harry. I should've known you won't be able to be a martyr forever." Ginny simply said. "But you're right." Ginny reasoned, but still, a wrenching gut-feeling told her that Hermione could be wrong.

"I didn't know I had it." Hermione replied, still hiding behind her bushy brown hair. "For months, I didn't blame him, I kept waiting, hoping that someday, he'd come back. But now, I don't know what to think anymore, Ginny." Hermione looked up. Tears were quietly flowing down her flushed cheeks. But then she started to sob and cry really hard. "I don't know what I've gotten myself into. Before, I was just happy that we were all happy, all three of us. I had him and Ron and we were all together. I was happy with just that. Even though I wanted more, I didn't dare try and tell him or ask for it. Back then, it was enough for me to know that he was there for me whenever I need him. And then it happened. That night, everything felt so good. Do you know what that was like, Ginny? Having him hold me like that, it just felt perfect. I felt like I was on top of the world and nothing could pull me down while I was with him. He hugged me and he held me and…he said he's there and he'd never leave me. He said that, you know? He said he'd never leave me. Ironic because the next morning, he was already gone."

Hermione let her tears flow down freely. She felt nostalgic. As she was recounting the events to Ginny, the images of that fateful night swarmed her mind. Everything she saw, heard and felt that night flooded her once more. Her heart was beating so fast that she was already panting as she cried. "When I found out that he had left, it was so painful. It was like I just fell from a wonderful dream into a horrible nightmare. I lost him. I blamed myself during that time. I thought that if I didn't let something happen between us that night, he wouldn't have gone. Even if he does go, it wouldn't be like this. He wouldn't be avoiding me."

"It's not your fault, Hermione." Ginny comforted her. She put one of her hands (the one not holding Nathan) on top of hers and squeezed it.

Nathan squirmed uncomfortably and whimpered lightly as though he could feel his mother's agony at that moment.

Hermione held out her arms and took Nathan. The baby, without opening his eyes, snuggled against her chest once more. She cradled him in her arms as she cried. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry that your father isn't here right now." She said to Nathan as another wave of tears flowed down her cheeks. She sobbed hard. "Trust me, my dear. I didn't want this. I didn't want to let you grow up without a father. God knows how much I want to have your father here now. I want him here and I want him to hold you. I want to see him smile at the moment he lays eyes on you. I want to hear his voice calling you by your name…I want….I just wanted him back, baby. For you…for…"

Hermione felt the right side of the bed sag and felt big arms surround themselves around her shoulders and pull her close. "He wouldn't be growing up without a father. He'll have loads of redhead fathers. Yeah, Fred and George aren't the father type but they'll do, they'll be delighted. You won't be alone through this, Hermione. You won't be alone anymore." Ron kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry."

Hermione looked up from Nathan and met Ron's eyes. "Thank you, Ron. I'm sorry about earlier."

"We always do argue, don't we? It's already a routine." Ron said with a laugh. "But really, I'm sorry about the yelling. I shouldn't have."

Hermione nodded. "But Ron, I meant what I said about Draco. I hope you guys believe me." Hermione looked at the two Weasleys. "If you won't believe, at least give him a chance to prove it."

Ginny shrugged her shoulders as a reply. Honestly, she didn't really know if she'd believe it herself. She was the kind of girl who didn't believe unless she sees the proof right before her eyes. If Malfoy really had changed, she had to see it first before she believed.

Hermione took it as a positive answer from Ginny. After all, even if she was angry at Malfoy, she was not the kind of girl who judges even before she has a proof. It was the best answer she could get from Ginny at the moment. But she knew that once Draco had proved himself, she would believe. After seeing Ginny's answer, she turned to Ron.

"Oh, alright." Ron simply answered. But at that exact moment, a plan was already forming in his mind. If Malfoy really wanted to prove it, Ron had the perfect idea how he could. He had to see for himself if Malfoy really did change into a person who'd help someone in need regardless of who they were…

Hermione was reading a book while leaning against the headboard of her bed when the door opened and Draco entered. She looked up from her book and took the piece of paper she used as a bookmark. She inserted it between the pages and closed the book silently.

"Hey, where's Nathan?" Draco sauntered to the side of her bed and slumped on the seat.

"He's currently in the nursery. Brenda took him a moment ago."

"Oh, I see. Phew! This day is exhausting!" Draco exhaled loudly as he fanned himself with his hand. "I just finished my last class. When I went back at the castle, I was already half an hour late for my first class."

"I made you late, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. But don't be silly. You gave birth, it isn't your fault." Draco started. He fixed himself and tried to tame his already wildly tousled hair by running a hand through it. "Anyway, so I went back there. The first thing I did was go back to McGonagall's office to check if she came back yet. But she hadn't come back yet so I just decided to tell the other teachers. I told them and they were ecstatic. They wanted to go straight here after I told them. But they couldn't because they still had classes. I bet they went here as soon as they finished?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, Hannah and Neville just left over an hour ago."

"Really? Then, they should've been back at the castle before I left. Hmmm. Probably went on a date together." Draco joked.

Hermione slapped his shoulder with a raise eyebrow.

"What?" Draco asked with a playful smirk.

Hermione chuckled. "I'll bet 20 galleons, you were the one who started that pool among the staff concerning Hannah and Neville weren't you?"

Draco smirked. "Maybe I was. Maybe I wasn't. Who knows? Anyway, you owe me big time. I took care of your class. And they ain't that quiet, you know? They heard about you and they kept asking things. Even my glare and sneer weren't enough to shut them up. Heck, even my deductions didn't stop 'em. What did you do to those kids? Taking into account the amount of homework you sure are giving, I thought they'd be happy you're taking a break. But no. They wanted you back. Would you believe it? Someone told me I was 'BORING unlike Professor Granger.' Freaking kids."

Hermione laughed. "What did you tell them?" She said in between her laughs.

"Told them you'll be back in a day or two." Draco answered. "But you really do owe me."

Hermione rolled her eyes. But then she straightened up and sat properly. Her face went serious. "Enough with the jokes for now, Draco. Listen, I want to apologize."

Draco plastered his fake confused face. "Apologize? What do you mean?" He mentally cursed. He went back and had high hopes that Hermione would just forget about what happened earlier. He hoped she wouldn't bring it up. But he should've known it wouldn't be that easy.

"I'm sorry about Ron and all the yelling."

"I told you it's okay." Draco said, trying joke about it all. "You really can't blame him. He's right; it's sounds impossible that I changed. Although, with the way he talked about me earlier, I would've been glad to give him a punch or two."

"No, he's not right." Hermione argued. "It's not impossible. In fact, you have changed."

"I don't know, Hermione. Do you really think so?" Draco inquired. Yes, he had changed towards Hermione. He didn't insult her anymore unlike before. But did that really mean that he had changed and became a better man?

Hermione gave a chuckle. "Listen to yourself, Draco and tell me that you haven't changed."

"I didn't mean in that way. I didn't mean getting into first name basis. I meant as a person. You kept saying that I'm a better man. But I can't feel it, you know?"

"You're such a pessimist, you know that?"

"I'm not! It's just that…I don't know." Draco frustratingly brushed his hair with both his hands and covered his face with them. Suddenly, his tone wasn't playful anymore. It turned serious, a bit pained, even. His voice was muffled when he continued to speak. "I don't believe that I'm a better man because I can still feel it, Hermione. I still feel guilty about everything. I still feel piercing eyes stabbing my back every time I go out in the public. I know they still discriminate me. I know they're disgusted at the very sight of me. And at night, I still have those nightmares of Dumbledore. Nothing changed, Hermione. I'm still Malfoy. Malfoy! I still carry the family's dirty reputation. I'll never have the chance to live a new life without people judging me because of the past. I'll never be just Draco!" He finished. He looked up at Hermione, sadness filling his eyes.

There were reasons why he didn't believe he had change into a better man. Yes, he believed he tried but he didn't know if he succeeded or not. Meeting the real Hermione, putting aside all his prejudices and having her as a friend made him realize that he had longed for it. He had longed to have someone there who could support him and be there when he needed someone to talk to. It made him realize that he didn't always have to be alone. It felt good for him. Having a real friend felt securing for him. It was like having Astoria all over again. But during all that, he also noticed that nothing had changed in the way people treated him. It was unfair. He tried his best to change it but no matter how hard he tried, people still crunch their faces in disgust every time they see him. It was as if he would never be accepted as long as his wretched Dark mark was still etched in his skin. Everything turned out to be a failure for him. He was a failure and he will always be.

"Do you want to a start a new life?"

"Of course, I do. Believe me, I've tried. But I can't. I just can't, Hermione." Draco sighed heavily.

"Don't say that. You can. You just have to get out of the past first, correct everything." Hermione consoled. She put an assuring hand on top of Draco's shoulder.

Draco looked up at her. "Exactly how do I do that?"

"Say sorry to all you have harmed before, the Weasleys, mostly."

Draco didn't answer but he considered it for a long moment. _The Weasleys_, he thought. If there were people he harmed the most, the Weasleys would surely take the award. Starting with the head of the family who had suffered far too many insults from his father than he could ever count; to Ron who nearly died because of the poison that came from him; finally to Ginny, who got possessed by a diary that his father "accidentally" dropped in her cauldron when she was just a freshman, yes, they surely were the ones he owed apology the most.

"I don't know, Hermione. I don't know if they'll ever forgive me." Draco said with doubtful eyes.

Hermione sighed. "I thought you wanted to get out of the past?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then, you should say sorry to them. You haven't even tried, Draco." Hermione reasoned. She promised Ron that Draco could prove that he had changed and she was fairly sure that Draco could prove it. He just needed the right amount of encouragement.

"In case you've forgotten, Ron nearly murdered me earlier. I'm afraid to even think about what all his brothers can do to me." Draco argued. But deep inside him, past all the fear, he knew Hermione was right.

"That's not the point. Besides, who told you that you'll be going alone? I'll be with you. I'll make sure they don't kill you." Hermione jokingly assured him. She smiled encouragingly. "But tell me, do you really want to?"

Draco's chest felt heavy. Hermione hadn't said when yet but his heart was already throbbing frantically. But despite the nervousness, he knew he had to do it. He had to, at least, try. "Yes," Draco gulped loudly, "I think so."

"Then, it's settled. Don't worry, Draco. I'll be there. Nathan and I will be there to support you."

"Okay." Draco nervously answered as an idea came to him: _I better take care of my funeral arrangements just in case…_

AN: I know I said that in this chapter, Draco will go to the Burrow with Hermione. But it felt right to end this chapter here. The next chapter will be pretty long because it will involve many things. That is why I thought it's just right to end this here. I hope you guys don't hate me for that. Also, sorry for taking so long to update. I'm really sorry. I got stuck in this chapter again. I really don't know how this chapter will turn up. Honestly, I think it's kinda rubbish but I worked hard on this. I hope you take it easy on me. Anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter. Review please. I'll update tomorrow, I promise.


	33. The Start of a New Beginning

Disclaimer: I claim nothing. I don't own HP. I don't own any franchise that is going to be mentioned here, whatever that other franchise is.

AN: WOW! After a whole millennium, I updated! YAY! I'm sorry if it took so long. I'm really, really sorry. I was just busy with school and everything. The school year is ending and there are so many things that that are needed to be done. I'm really sorry. I've received reviews asking me if I have stopped writing this fic. Don't worry, that won't happen. I might take long to update but I won't ever stop writing this. I really hope you guys will stick with me until the end. That'd be totally awesome.

As a peace offering to you guys, this chapter is extremely loooooooooooong. 45 pages of short bond paper to be exact. I hope this will make up for the long time I didn't update. I'm really, really sorry it took so long and I hope you like this chapter.

Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think about this chapter. But please no flames, okay? I will really appreciate your reviews. Seeing as this is 45 pages long, I'm expecting tons of reviews. I just hope you guys will fulfill my wish and drop off a review. Pretty please? It'll help me to update more often because your reviews will inspire me so please send me some, okay?

If you have questions, feel free to ask by sending a review. Thanks again, sorry and please, PLEASE send me a review. :D

PS: To those who are commenting that Hermione is spending too much time with Draco, I apologize for that. This is not going to be a Dramione fic so don't worry. There are just things that are needed to be done. I promise this chapter will be the last chapter that they will spend so much time together. They will still be friends and continue to spend some time together but it's not like before. They will now start to deal with their own problems separately. I apologize!

READ ON!

* * *

Four months later…

Chapter 33

"What exactly are we doing here at Diagon Alley, Hermione?" Draco grumbled. The sun was shining brightly against his pale skin. His blond hair was glistening as the sunrays landed on his locks. He hated going to public places. He started hating Diagon Alley ever since the end of the war.

Hermione stopped walking abruptly. She was carrying the now four months old Nathan between her arms. "I didn't tell you, did I?" Hermione started to walk again towards a direction foreign to Draco. "We're going shopping today. We're going to buy Nathan's things."

Draco followed Hermione and casually put his hands inside his pockets. _So that's what she needs: someone to carry the bags. _Draco thought with a roll of the eyes. "But why so early? Yes, it's weekend and there aren't any classes. But I only get to wake up late every weekend and we can easily go after lunch. Why do we have to go this early?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco's whining. "Because early sunshine is good for babies, Mr. Whiner." Hermione lied easily. To tell the truth, they weren't just going shopping today. They were going somewhere else during the afternoon and hopefully, if everything would go well, until dinner time. She had a different thing in mind but she didn't dare tell Draco; not yet.

Draco childishly stuck his tongue out at Hermione. "I hate Diagon Alley. Why don't we just go shopping at muggle London?"

"You're not the whiner type of guy, are you?" Hermione sarcastically asked him. "Besides, what do you hate so much about Diagon Alley?"

Draco jerked his head pointedly to their surroundings. Several heads were turning to their direction. Some spared him one look, ignored him and continued walking away. Some bowed their heads and walked faster in order to get as far from him as possible. But a couple of burly men looked at him up and down from head to toe, sneered, snorted and gave a disgusted grunt before walking away. Draco's eyes flared but, nevertheless, ignored the rude gesture. "That is the reason why."

Hermione turned alarmed. She looked around to check if there were other people surveying them. To her surprise, several more people seemed to notice them and some started murmuring. She managed to overhear some of their statements.

"Is that Malfoy? The Death eater's son? What's he doing with Hermione Granger? Isn't she Harry Potter's sidekick?" One witch with a zit on her nose whispered to her companion.

"Yes, that's her. Do you think we should call the Aurors? They might've been kidnapped by him, threatened, maybe. And she's got a baby in her arms." The companion of the witch with the zit replied.

Needless to say, their comments annoyed Hermione. So she did an amusing gesture – amusing to her but surprising to all the spectators. She shifted Nathan to her one arm and she hooked the other around Draco's. "We've got lots to buy. Come on, Draco." Hermione finished, making sure that everyone who were there saw her arm hooked with Draco's. She mentally laughed at the shocked faces of their audience. She then ushered Draco through an alley in the right.

"You're downright likable sometimes, you know that? Freaky, but likable." Draco said in between peals of laughter once they were out of the views and earshot of the people.

"Freaky? That's how you thank me?" Hermione said, gluing a fake hurt expression in her face after unhooking her arms from Draco's.

"Freaky's not yet enough for you? Then, VERY, VERY FREAKY. Is that enough yet? I could add a couple more _very _if you like." Draco's body shook with laughter.

"Hey, that's not funny!"

Nathan, who was watching the two of them the whole time, giggled and laughed toothlessly.

"Really? Nathan says otherwise." Draco stretched out his arms and took the still laughing baby from Hermione's arms. "Anyway, thank you. I do say thank you sometimes, you know? Even to freaky ladies."

Hermione smacked Draco's shoulder with her, now free, arms. Draco winced dramatically although the hit against his muscled arm most probably didn't even hurt. "There, that's how I say you're welcome."

"Yeah, that hurt. BIG TIME!" Draco mockingly said.

Hermione rolled he eyes and asked, "Does that always happen to you?"

"What? Being hit by you? Well, more than I'd like, actually."

"I didn't mean that! I meant people treating you like that."

"Oh. Well, your sudden change of topic is always confusing me, you know? But anyway, yeah. That always happens. That's why I hate it here now." Draco explained. Diagon Alley had become a 'no go' place for Draco ever since the end of the war, not only Diagon Alley, but also other public wizarding places. It meant that he only visited these places whenever he had to or when he had been forced into going there, just like now. He used to love Diagon Alley, personally. It was his favorite place when he was a kid for one reason-because it held so many memories for him. Diagon Alley was the only place his family could be together. It was the only place where his parents' attentions weren't divided between him and other matters. Because whenever they went to Diagon Alley, his parents always bought things and gifts for him. It was the only place he felt that he was important to his parents, mostly his father. At home, his father's attention would always be split between his family and his job. His mother's, on the other hand, was always split between him and his father. It was a rare chance that their family spent time together.

"And you didn't tell them off?"

"Nah. What's the point, it'll just get worse."

"You know, sometimes, I forget that you're not Draco Ferret Malfoy anymore." Hermione said with a chuckle.

"There you go again with that."

"Accept it, Draco. Anyway, if you want to go here, you can ask me to come with you and we can always do that again to tell them off."

Draco snorted. "You are enjoying that, aren't you?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you say so, Draco. But I'm serious."

"I know. Thanks, but no thanks. I'll just avoid this place as much as I could. Besides, I don't want to bring you along every time. That'd be pushing it. I don't want to use you and I don't want rumors going around. I don't want to be rumored dating a freaky lady." Draco joked with a fake shudder. "Let's just go and shop what this toddler needs." Draco finished as he gently pinched Nathan's nose in a playful way that made the baby giggle once more.

Hermione just rolled her eyes at Draco's joke and led him to the place that was truly foreign to Draco.

* * *

It was already past noon when they finished shopping. By that time, Nathan was already sleeping soundly between Hermione's arms and Draco was carrying loads of shopping bags. They had already eaten their lunch and they were all full.

Draco was fairly cheerful at that moment. Yes, his hands were clutching tons of bags but it didn't make him irritated even one bit. Instead, he was really cheerful as he looked around the place he had avoided for a long time. He was even whistling as they walked to Merlin knows where. It felt good to remember happy memories. The happiness made him forget about the people around him. He ignored them all.

Hermione saw that Draco was enjoying himself. As much as she hated to destroy his mood, her plan should be conducted that day. She would bring Draco to the Burrow later that day along with Nathan. It would be better for him to get into good terms with the Weasleys as soon as possible. And that would only happen once he had said sorry to them. Hermione knew for sure that the Weasleys would be fair to Draco. Even though they had a dark and not so happy past, the Weasleys weren't unfair in that way. Besides, she also thought it was already time to introduce Nathan to them and tell them the truth. They were her family now, after all. Besides, she had already told Ron and Ginny that they were coming late afternoon after shopping at Diagon Alley that morning. She said to them that Draco would be there as well but he still doesn't know anything about it. "Where do we go now? Are we goin' back to Hogwarts?" Draco impeded his whistling as he asked. They were already unconsciously making their way towards the enchanted wall leading back to the Leaky Cauldron.

Hermione seemed to realize where they were going for the first time. She stopped suddenly and looked around. They were already standing a short distance away from the Weasley twins' shop and the passage leading back to the Leaky Cauldron could already be seen straight ahead. "Oh. No, not yet."

"Well, where are we-"

Draco's question was cut off when a rather loud, husky voice boomed and startled them. "Hey, beauty!" Draco and Hermione turned their direction to the sound and found a bulky, kinda filthy man a few meters from them. The man's back was facing them so they were sure he wasn't talking to them. The man was facing a lady whose back was also turned to him.

The lady was already walking away. She didn't even pay attention to the man. She openly ignored him and continued her way, seemingly, towards the Weasley shop. Now, what the lady would do in a joke shop was far beyond Hermione and Draco's knowledge.

"Hey, hottie! Turn around!" The man ordered once more.

The woman didn't even twitch.

"Hey, I said turn around! Yer the chaser for Holyhead, aren't yer? The new one? They're right. Yer hot. You've got a right big bum right there. What do yer say we go to the Leaky Cauldron and get to know each other better, huh?" The man said, wriggling his eyebrows in mirth. He slowly walked towards the woman.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other. They didn't even notice the obvious mistake the man had said. How the hell would the man know that she was the new Harpies chaser if her back was turned to him? That part, they didn't figure out. Draco jerked his head towards the direction of the two and was about to walk there and see what exactly was going on when the woman turned around. Draco stopped walking due to shock as soon as he realized who the woman was. Why the heck didn't he and Hermione notice that long mane of red hair?

Ginny turned around with a vicious look on her face. "And who told you that I'll go somewhere with a right foul, filthy git such as yourself?" She had stopped walking and was now fully facing the man. Her spot was a few meters away from the entrance to the Weasley shop where the huge moving monuments of the Weasley twins, their latest addition to the newly renovated joke shop, stood, which were supposed to be greeting people and encouraging them to take a peek inside the shop. But even the statues noticed the commotion and were now suspiciously narrowing their huge eyes at the man talking to Ginny Weasley.

The man stopped in his tracks, his eyes mysteriously flashing with nervousness, at the moment Ginny turned around. As fast as a snap, his expression changed from nervous to disgruntle. "Proud, aren't yer? As if yer really beautiful." The man started insulting her as if insulting her would erase his embarrassment because of Ginny's own insults. "Yer a Weasley, fer crying out loud! I wonder what yer did to get Holyhead to recruit yer. I'm sure it's not money. Yer even poorer than snatchers. If yer from a family like the Weasleys, yer not worth it."

Draco heard what the man said but in his mind, a different voice and a different name rang. _You're a Malfoy! If you're from that wretched family, you're not worth anything anymore!_ The voice reverberated repeatedly in his mind. It had been several months since that incident happened right there at Diagon Alley. That was the last time Draco ever went there before now. He had been minding his own business when someone bumped into him and instead of saying sorry; the bloke gave him a disgusted look and said those words. Anger surged inside him. His eyes went blurry with anger as he stormed towards the man. He clutched the man's collar and drove him to the wall.

"Who are yer? What are yer doing? Get yer hands off me!" The man said in his face. Draco gotta admit, the curious thing was even if the man was filthy, his breath was not foul. The man tried to wriggle away from his touch but Draco's hands were firmly clutching his collar that the man hadn't had the chance to do anything.

"How dare you talk to her like that? You have no right to insult someone because of their family, you understand that?" Draco viciously told the man. His face was inches from the man's filthy face. That was when he noticed that the man had blue eyes, familiar blue eyes. "I don't want to hear any insult you throw at someone who didn't do anything bad to you! And look at yourself, you filthy, foul moron! Compare yourself to the Weasleys; you're a snatcher, aren't you? You're not even worthy to be their toe rag! You have no right to insult somebody else's family. The Weasleys are tons better than you or any of us!"

At that moment, people from WWW started to see the commotion. Many of them went out to the street and watched the event. The statues of Fred and George guarding the entrance was now struggling to get out of the invisible enchantment surrounding and preventing them to go anywhere and sneak away from the shop. The real Fred and George were the last ones to go out. They instantly saw Ginny and asked her what happened.

"That man tried to insult me and pick me up for a lunch at Leaky Cauldron. Then, Malfoy came out of nowhere and pushed the man to the wall. I think he's trying to defend me." Ginny answered.

Fred and George initially thought that Ginny was messing with both of them. But the statues interrupted them when they suddenly spoke. "Don't you laugh there! It's true. If it weren't for these wretched enchantments keeping us inside this invisible f*cking box, we would've already ripped him to pieces!" Statue-Fred said. "That man deserves some beating up! Get these damn enchantments off and let us go kick his arse!" Statue-George said.

After what they heard, the two saw Ginny's serious face. They spared a look at Malfoy and the man whose faces were nearly touching. Their protective brotherly instincts kicked in after realizing that she wasn't joking. Their anger surged. Who the heck insults their sister? He had to pay. The twins pushed their way through the crowd to the two men in the center. "Get out of the way!" The twins angrily shouted in unison while the statues shouted, "Hey! Don't leave us here! Let us go, we'll help you!"

Back to the trouble, Draco and the man continued to stare angrily at each other. "Yer one to talk. Yer a Malfoy. Yer no better than I am. A good for nothing death eater, ye'r!" The man spat in Draco's face.

Draco's grip on the man's collar tightened. "What did you say? Say it again and I'll gladly kill you." Draco's voice trembled with anger.

"I said," The man started, "I said…" But the man didn't finish his statement. Instead, he punched Draco in the face. His filthy knuckles met Draco's nose with a mighty crack.

The force of the punch knocked Draco off his feet, making him lose his grip on the man's collar. When he lost his grip, he fell to the floor and hit his head with a thud. Around and around his head, Draco saw stars and birds.

Ginny was the first one who ran towards Draco. She forcibly pushed through the people in front of them. It was a miracle that she got to Malfoy first.

The man ran with as much speed as he could muster the moment Draco lost his hold on him.

By that time, Fred and George finally managed to push through the commotion. The twins were surprised to see Ginny already kneeling beside Malfoy and helping him to get up. George ran after the man while Fred paused for a moment and spoke to Ginny, his face scrunched up in anger. "Ginny, take this…take this ferret home for now and…" Fred's eyes caught Hermione a few meters away from them. "Is that Hermione? Bring her to the Burrow as well. George and I will meet you there after we beat the crap out of that man." Fred then turned to the crowd. "Lee! Where, the bloody hell, are you? You're in charge of the shop for now. And all of you, clear up! There's no show to see anymore! Get out of here!"

"Uh-oh." Ginny stared worriedly at the retreating men before she turned to Malfoy. "Are you okay? What were you even trying to do?"

"Errr. Errrm. Errr," was all that Malfoy managed to say.

"Oh for Merlin's sake! Let's go to the Burrow." Ginny took a hold of Malfoy's arm and helped him up. "Hermione, is that really you?" Ginny called out to Hermione. Hermione walked towards her and nodded. "Let's go to the Burrow. Can you Apparate?"

"No, Nathan shouldn't. And seeing as Draco couldn't even say one sensible word, I'd say apparition isn't a choice for him as well." Hermione replied. She purposely stayed out of the brawl for Nathan's sake. As much as she'd want to help, she really couldn't

"We'll floo, then. Let's go." Ginny led the way towards the shop once more. She reluctantly draped one of Malfoy's arms around her shoulder and dragged him inside. By that time, the people were already dispersing. After much difficulty, Ginny managed to pull Draco inside the shop. They found Lee Jordan behind the counter. She nodded to him and they went to the fireplace. She took a fistful of floo powder, threw it in the grate, shouted "the Burrow!" and stepped inside with Malfoy in tow.

After the usual swirling, they found themselves in the Burrow's fireplace. As soon as they stepped out of the grate, Draco slumped to the floor.

Hermione followed their arrival after a few moments with Nathan protectively held against her shoulder and neck, preventing the baby to inhale ashes. Miraculously, the baby was still sleeping soundly. How the baby managed to do that, Ginny didn't know.

"Ow, my head." Draco groused. He put his hands in his hair and pulled hard as if the gesture could diminish the throbbing of his head. "Where am I? Where's that- b-b-bastard?"

"You're at the Burrow." Ginny answered. She just stared at Malfoy; he didn't even complain that he was sitting on the ashen floor beside the grate.

"Ginny, where is everyone?" Hermione asked. The house was considerably empty besides them. It was weekend and she thought the whole family would be there because they would be having a family dinner later. That was why she had planned to bring Draco to the Burrow. But she didn't really plan to bring him there with a seemingly broken nose and a throbbing head. "Aren't you gonna have family dinner later?"

"Actually, there is. They're probably outside, arranging tables. We'll be having dinner outside. The house kitchen couldn't handle our numbers anymore."

Outside the Burrow's gate, Fred and George apparated. They found Percy, Charlie, Bill, Fleur, Penelope, their mother and father arranging the tables. The men were putting tables together while the women were arranging utensils and other stuff.

"Oi! Fred, George, you're early. Where are Angelina and Katie?" Bill inquired. The twins didn't say a single word. "Oi! I'm talking to you two!" Bill shouted at them. He was shocked at the twins' behavior. It was so not Fred and George to enter the lot and not give a damn good punch line and a mischievous smile.

Fred and George ignored them all and stormed towards the house where they found Hermione, a baby, Ginny and Malfoy. George immediately darted across the room towards Malfoy. He gripped his collar, pulled him up in a standing position and pushed him against the mantle. George ignored the girls' gasps and protests. "What the bloody hell are you playing at?"

Draco was lost for words. His head throbbed even more painfully as George shook him violently, his hair flinging wildly. His eyes went unfocused and his head swirled. He shook his head to go back to reality. "What are you talking about?" he hoarsely asked.

"I said what are you playing at? Who's that man? I didn't manage to find him! He disappeared. Who is he? Answer me!" George shook Draco once more.

Draco made a weak attempt to get George's hands off his collar. But George didn't budge. "I don't know! I don't know him!"

That was the moment the door burst open once more. A slightly disheveled Ron entered the threshold. "What's happening?" He croaked. Apparently, he had just arrived as well.

Then the whole family entered.

"What the heck is going on here? Fred why are you shouting?" Arthur gazed at Fred. Then he realized that it wasn't Fred. It was George who was shaking… "Malfoy? George, what the hell are you doing? Malfoy, how did you-"

"George, calm down. Let him go. Ginny, what is going on here?" Molly asked her daughter and then flashed a warning look at his son. George reluctantly let go of Malfoy, the latter weakly slumped against the fireplace once more.

Ginny was about to answer when Fred angrily butted in. "Earlier, there was a commotion in front of the shop. When we went out to see what it was, we saw this git having a shouting fest with a f*cking bastard. When we asked your daughter what was happening, she said that that man tried to insult her and tried to pick her up like a slut!"

Molly gasped and immediately sauntered towards her daughter. "George, watch your mouth! Is this true, Ginny?"

"Yes, mum." Ginny nodded after giving a mysterious warning look at Ron. "But Malfoy wasn't with him. He kind of…tried to…defend me?" Ginny finished. It sounded more like a question than answer for she still didn't know what to think. Malfoy did save her. But was it counted as a good deed, considering that…

Ginny's reverie was cut off by a loud snort from George. "Defend? Why would you defend us?"

"In case you've forgotten, you've been insulting us all your life!" Fred continued.

"Wait, wait, wait! Calm down, Fred, George. Everybody calm down. Malfoy, sit down." Arthur said. As much as he agreed with his son's doubt, if what his daughter was saying was true, they still owe Malfoy despite his son's point.

Draco weakly sat down on the floor once again and leaned his back against the side of the grate. He didn't know what to think. Besides the pain he was feeling in his head, his mind was also swirling with confusion. How did he land in that situation again? Oh, right, he landed in that situation when he decided to pick a fight with that blasted git who had reminded him of his wretched situation of being discriminated for his father's deeds. That made him act according to his instincts. And once he heard him throw another insult at someone who had been judged because of her family, just like how he had been, he didn't hesitate anymore. He defended her just like how he would've wanted to be defended.

"Now that we've calmed down, start the story again. Start with what you were doing at Diagon Alley, Malfoy. And Hermione, we'd really appreciate it if you can introduce us to that adorable toddler in your arms."

With what Arthur said, every eye turned to Hermione and Nathan. "Errrm. I'll gladly do that, Mr. Weasley…later. For now, let's talk abut the situation at hand. To answer your question for Draco, he's there because…I asked him to come with me."

Bill, Percy, Penelope, Fleur, Arthur, Molly, Fred and George's foreheads crunched up in confusion. They all stared incredulously at her.

"Come with you? Why?" Fred asked.

"To help me with all the stuff I shopped." Hermione answered. With that, she whipped out her wand, dropped the beaded bag that was clutched inside the hand holding Nathan and summoned her shopping bags from the inside. They were the size of matchboxes. She engorged everything with a swish of her wand. During Draco's idiotic display of idiocy by having a brawl with the mysterious guy, he had mindlessly dropped every bag he was clutching. Hermione was left to clean up the mess he left. "Actually, Draco and I had become friends during the past months. He had been helping me with things all this time."

"What? Helping you? How? Are you sure, Hermione?" Percy incredulously inquired just like how Ron had asked Hermione. Ron, on the other hand, had stayed silent, his eyes blank and absent with the disgusted glint he once had a few months ago.

Hermione nodded. "How he helped me? I'll answer that later."

"We'll cover more of that later. Now, what exactly happened?" Arthur asked once more

This time, it was Ginny who answered. "I was just on my way to the shop when-a-a-man called out my attention. I ignored him because I didn't like his tone and the way he called me. But he continued shouting at me and then told me I have a… big bum. After being ignored for a couple more times, he started insulting me. He insulted the whole family as well. He said we weren't worth anything. That was when," Ginny looked at Malfoy, "Malfoy came. He kind of defended me. He said we were better than any of them, even himself."

By that time, every single Weasley was already staring at Draco with calculating eyes. Draco could tell that each of them had doubt in their minds as well as questions as to why he had defended the whole family whereas he had been insulting them all his life.

"Why?" Fred asked.

Draco stood up from his sitting position. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you defend us? What do you want?" Fred slowly asked. He walked towards Malfoy until they were only a foot away from one another.

Draco shook his head silently.

Percy spoke next, his voice a bit louder than Fred's. "It's not that we're not thankful that you defended Ginny and the family. But we've learned not to trust everybody who does well to us. We've learned our lesson and let's face it, you are a Malfoy. You have been insulting our family for as long as I can remember. You have been the reason why my brother almost died. Your father was the reason why my sister had been scarred for life because of that wretched chamber. You have been troubling us during the past. We have every right to doubt your acts. Why did you do that?"

Draco felt every eye piercing his face. Why, indeed? Why did he do it? Why did he act differently from what he was before? Why was he suddenly being good to the Weasleys? Why was he suddenly being good to Hermione? Why was he trying to be good all of a sudden? There were so many WHYs surrounding Draco's mind at that moment. He only had one answer. "Because I want to…break free… from… the past."

Silence followed Draco's words.

He bowed his head and continued. "I know it's hard to believe, but I've been trying to change my life. It sounds ridiculous that a Malfoy is doing that, but it's true. Ever since the end of the war, I've been treated like trash. I've been discriminated far too many times because of what I did but mostly because of what my father did. Everywhere I go people look me up and down and see me as garbage. I don't want to continue like that. I tried to change my life. Little-by-little, I tried. But until now, I don't know if I had succeeded. Hermione here," Draco turned to Hermione, "she's been good to me. She was one of those people who accepts me and not throws me away. I have apologized to everyone at Hogwarts and they accepted me. But I don't think I'll ever be at peace as long as I haven't corrected what I did to you, what my father did to you."

Everybody kept silent. They all listened to Draco. Fred and George had calmed down. Even Ron seemed to be taking it quite well. Hermione, meanwhile, was thinking that her efforts weren't wasted at all. Although things didn't go exactly as she planned them, things took their own tracks and those tracks turned out leading to a good destination.

Draco continued after taking a deep breath. "I just want to say," he paused momentarily. He looked up from staring at the floor and looked at each and every

Weasley present. He even gave Hermione an apologetic look before finally saying, "I'm really sorry."

Awkward silence.

"I'm not saying that you should forgive me and accept my apology. I've been bad, I've been arrogant, I've been dumb and I've been horrible to you all. You all have every right to treat me sourly. But it's just that I want to end this. I want to apologize for everything. It's your choice if you'll forgive me or not. But I'm really sorry. I really am. I hope you'll believe me. Please. I'm sorry." Draco looked down on his feet once more after getting no response from any of the Weasleys. Minutes stretched and the clock ticked. After what felt like centuries for Draco, he felt warm hands settle themselves on his shoulder. He looked up to see Mr. Weasley looking straight into his eyes.

"After all that your father and you have done, I can't say it's easy. But we're not in the right place to deny you the chance to live a new life. We're not like that. We will not imprison you in the past. If you want a second chance, we're generous; we'll give it to you. If you want to prove it, go ahead, our eyes are open. You're free, Draco." Arthur said.

The name echoed pleasantly in Draco's ears. It was spoken in a soft way that sounded so paternal. It was spoken in a way he didn't always hear from his father but had longed to.

"Mr. Weasley, thank-" Draco was about to thank Arthur when another soft hand enclosed around his arm.

"Nobody deserves to be imprisoned in the past, dear. You might have done awful things in the past, which we do not deny that we hated. But still, if you want to live a better life, we shouldn't keep it away from you. Everybody deserves a second chance." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.

Following his mother's statement, Bill immediately spoke. "Actually, I still can't wrap my mind about this whole thing. I still can't believe that you, of all people, are apologizing to us." Bill deadpanned. "But as mum said, everybody deserves a second chance. Also, after what you did today, I should be grateful for what you did for my sister. Just take this agreement of mine as thanks. But remember, if this is a set-up and you decide to do anything bad, you'll never see daybreak ever again." Bill finished by pointing his two fingers in his own eyes and then pointing his index finger afterwards to Draco.

The gesture was taken by Draco as one that said 'I've got my eyes on you.'

It looked like the Weasleys were on a roll because as soon as Bill finished, Percy took over.

"Err. I'm really not on the right spot to not give second chances. After all, I was also given one. Let's just say that I know what it's like to regret every horrible thing that you've done. I know what it's like to feel that you've screwed everything up. I know how it feels like to crave for a new chance, a new life." Percy gave Draco a meaningful look that suggested that he really knew what it's like to be alone and stuck in your horrible past deeds. "I know how difficult it is. That's why I'll generously give you the second chance you're craving for just like how I was generously given mine." Percy smiled slightly. "But don't screw it up this time. Because a second chance is all that you'll ever get from us. There aren't gonna be more."

Draco nodded solemnly.

Charlie spoke next. "I wasn't present when all those bad deeds you're talking about, happened. But I care so much for my family to not care if it was conducted in front of me or not. All I know is that you've done things to my family." Charlie said with a straight face.

Draco turned more nervous. Heck, he didn't even know Charlie that much but he was afraid that he wouldn't give him the chance that he was asking for. He might not forgive him. But Draco's fears melted away as Charlie continued to talk.

"But a second chance wouldn't hurt. But keep this in mind, Malfoy: one more bad deed from you to my family, I'll ride one of my dragons and lead a whole horde to chase after you." Charlie said this with a completely serious face, with the scars and all. Just those few sentences were enough to give Draco a hallucination about a horde of enormous dragons chasing after him with a maniacally laughing Charlie riding on the back of one of them.

Draco audibly gulped but deep inside, his stomach was fluttering. He was given a second chance by the Weasleys. It was more than he could ever ask for. "Thank you, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Percy, Charlie. Thank you so much. I know this is so unlike me but I promise I won't let you down." Draco said, partly to the Weasleys and partly to Hermione who had always been there to encourage him to do what he thought would really set him free.

Hermione smiled in reply. Draco sighed with relief but he should've noticed that the Weasleys who were present weren't just composed of the people who just finished talking. There was still four who haven't said anything yet.

At that moment, Fred stepped forward held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're forgetting us." That short of a sentence was enough to ignite Draco's nervousness once more. "It wouldn't be that easy for us, Malfoy."

A shiver ran through Draco's spine at Fred's statement. _Uh-oh, this can't be good. _He thought to himself.

Unseen by Malfoy, Fred gazed at Ron and with a curt nod from the latter, Fred had decided. He sauntered towards Malfoy and took a hold of his elbow. He started leading him to the back door.

Draco was speechless and didn't know what to say at that moment. It was Molly who talked to Fred. "Fred, what are you up to? Where are you taking him?"

George rolled his eyes at their over paranoid mother. "Mum, relax; we'll just take him for a bit of good time." George emphasized the words GOOD TIME.

Needless to say, what George said made them more nervous. It wasn't a secret to everyone that the twins had a different idea of "good time".

"What're you up to?" Hermione asked the twins doubtfully but she got no answer. The Weasleys, along with their wives and girlfriends, started following the twins and Draco out the door. They halted in front of the shed where their father kept all his muggle stuff.

"You wanna prove it? Do it." That was all that George said before he opened the door and shoved Draco inside.

Arthur shot his son a warning look and tried to follow Draco and extract him from the shed when Fred's hand landed on his shoulder.

"Dad, he's old enough. Don't worry. This won't kill him. He might even thank us after this. We just need to be sure one last time. Relax." Fred reassured his father.

"But the shoving isn't necessary, George."

"It's okay. I'll be going now but what is inside?" Draco tried to extract some kind of clue as to what he would find inside the old shed.

Fred shrugged his shoulder and jerked his head towards the entrance to the shed.

Draco sighed. It looked like he's gonna have to find out for himself what was inside that shed. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his insides that were churning. They wouldn't kill him, would they? Draco entered the old shed.

It was dim inside the shed. The sun didn't seep in properly but he could see a hint of rubbish inside the shed. There were stuffs littered all over the floor. There were pieces of scrap metal, long slender cords and shards of glass. He was about to pick up one string of yellow cord to examine it when he was suddenly engulfed by utter and complete darkness. Out of reflex action, he turned around, his wand instinctively held tightly in his right hand. He flicked it and then a ball of light appeared at the end of it. It was then that something pale and translucent caught Draco's eyes. An audible gasp escaped his mouth as the figure revealed its face.

* * *

"Fred, George, explain why you shoved Malfoy inside Dad's shed?" Bill asked his brothers. "You know, Dad's muggle stuff isn't gonna help him prove that he's willing to change, you know? What did you expect, he'll turn into a muggle loving pure-blood and then that's it?"

"Whoever said it's only muggle stuff that's in there?" was Fred's response and then he whipped out his wand and swished it. A few minutes later, benches from Merlin-knows-where appeared. Then, George took out his own wand, swished it like what his twin just did and then three huge buckets of popcorn zoomed into his waiting arms. The twins casually sat down at one of the benches, started munching popcorn as if they were gonna watch a muggle movie and tossed the other buckets to the wide-eyed Percy and Charlie. "This is gonna be great, isn't it, Gred?

"You bet, Forge."

The whole family stood rooted in their spots. They had no idea what Fred and George were talking about and what exactly was happening inside the shed at that moment. The inside of the shed could've been undergoing destruction and they wouldn't even know because the shed was as quiet as ever. Maybe there were silencing charms around the whole shed.

At the thought of his muggle stuff inside the shed, Arthur paled. He stormed to the door of the shed and tried to wrench the door open to no avail. He whipped out his wand and tried several unlocking charms but after a few attempts, he turned to his wife with a grim face. "Molly, the boy's insured, isn't he?"

"Oh, for the love of…" Fred said irritated, his nostrils stuffed with cheese flavored popcorn. "We told you he is not gonna die in there. Just relax, people. Come here, sit down and join the popcorn party while we wait."

The Weasleys were a bit uneasy as they slowly walked towards the benches and each took a seat. What they were waiting for in front of the shed, they didn't know. Why the popcorn was necessary, they had no idea. Only Fred and George knew…or so they thought.

Hermione as well had no other choice but to sit with them and wait for who-knows-what outside the shed. But she did notice that Ginny and Ron were a bit uneasy and a tad too quiet at that time. With that thought, she held Nathan closer and started to wait along with the whole family.

* * *

Draco's mouth fell open as he saw the face of the mysterious figure slowly sauntering towards him. His mouth closed and opened as if he was trying to say something but words failed him. Well, wouldn't you be failed by words as well when a person who was supposedly dead suddenly shows up in front of you? Not only was the person supposed to be dead. But also, Draco had witnessed the murder take place in front of his eyes. Heck, he even blamed himself for the death of this person. And now, he was standing right in front of him. He felt like he wanted to faint.

"You're pale, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said. He walked slowly until he was only a few feet away from the blond, young man. "How have you been doing lately?" Dumbledore consulted but when Draco made no move to answer, Dumbledore changed the course of the conversation. "I know that a certain portrait of mine has been placed in the Headmistress' office at the castle. But I trust you know that that portrait is simply charmed to act the way I would if I was there. So I literally don't know what people have been asking and telling that portrait. But I have my ways of learning a gist of them. Do tell me, Draco. Have you been deeming yourself guilty for my death?"

_Wow, Dumbledore is straight to the point, isn't he?_ Draco thought to himself. Actually, he hadn't intended to talk to the portrait of Dumbledore at the castle for he knew that that portrait was just charmed and it wouldn't do any good even if he apologized to him. But there was one occasion when he went to the office and just as usual, he avoided looking at the portrait. The Dumbledore from the portrait probably thought this strange. So during that one time, he decided to ask Draco why he was avoiding looking or talking to the portrait.

Initially, Draco thought it was ridiculous and rather embarrassing to pour emotions out to a portrait. But because it was charmed to act just like the real Dumbledore, naturally, the portrait Dumbledore saw right through him and asked that very same question.

Truthfully, he thought of himself as insane for even thinking that apologizing to the portrait and being forgiven by it would mean that Dumbledore had really forgiven him. What was he? A dumb wizard? He was a pure-blood and he has knowledge of ancient magic. He knew for sure that the portraits were just symbols of the person in it. It was just a mere symbol and nothing more. So whatever you said to it wasn't really known to the true person symbolized by the portrait.

But nevertheless, Draco apologized to the portrait with the hopes that his mind would be at peace even a little. But the days dragged on after that confrontation and his nights remained the same – they were full of nightmares.

Draco stood there in front of Dumbledore. The old man in front of him was pale but the body was not exactly like the true Dumbledore's body that night he was murdered. This Dumbledore looked healthier; old, but healthier. "It was my fault." Draco found himself saying. His eyes were directed at his sneakers but when he looked up to gaze at the former Headmaster, he saw him shaking his head.

"No, my child, it wasn't your fault."

"How can it not be?" Draco argued instantly, his eyebrows crunching together in bewilderment. "I tried to kill you the whole of my sixth year! How can you say that it wasn't my fault?"

"Because you lowered your wand." Dumbledore answered. As usual, his face was as calm as the sea during a sunset.

"What does that have to do with me intending to kill you all year? Besides, you were killed because of me. If it weren't for me and my mother, Snape wouldn't kill-"

"Oh, trust me, Draco. You are also a victim here." Dumbledore patted his shoulder with his left hand, which was now back to its normal color, not the former black.

"How is that?" Draco asked Dumbledore. That was when the light on Draco's wand turned off. He was swallowed by darkness but he could still feel a gentle hand on his shoulder. After a few more moments in utter darkness, Draco started hearing voices.

"Mr. Malfoy, how lovely to see you." A voice behind Draco said. At that same time, dim light started attacking his eyes. He turned around in time to see another Dumbledore leaning against the railing of the Astronomy Tower. Draco instinctively glanced at the hand on his shoulder and traced back to the owner. He saw Dumbledore still there and gazing at him. He was confused for a moment as to why there were two Dumbledores. But when his eyes laid on the "Mr. Malfoy" that the other Dumbledore was referring to, he immediately understood that he was just having a vision of the past, with Dumbledore right beside him. He contemplated for a moment if he should talk or if they could be heard. But he thought what the heck? This was just a vision. "Why are you showing this to me?"

"Because you have to see the truth." That was Dumbledore's simple answer.

Draco didn't answer anymore. He stood silent as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. When the time came when the past Dumbledore had told the past Draco that he didn't have to do it, that was when the Dumbledore beside the real Draco spoke.

"I have tried to convince you that you didn't have to do it," Dumbledore spoke softly, "but you said that you were chosen for that task. Draco, do you know why Voldemort chose you?"

Draco stopped staring at the trembling hand of his past self then he turned to look at Dumbledore. To think of it, he really didn't know why Voldemort chose him. All he knew was what would happen if he succeeded. He shook his head. "No."

Dumbledore studied Draco with a straight face. His eyes roamed his face and finally settled at his gray eyes. He looked at them intently before speaking the truth. "He chose you because he wanted to punish your father. He knew that you wouldn't be able to do it. He gave the condition that he'll kill you and your parents if you fail because he knew that you would fail. As much as I hate to say this, it simply means that he just gave you the condition to hide the murder he was intending to commit either way."

Draco didn't know if he should be surprised or not. Deep inside him, he had a hunch that that was the real reason behind it. But the other part of him, insisted that it's not. That part was the one who kept pushing him to do the tedious task and kept reminding of the prize he'd get once he succeeded. That part was also the part responsible for him being able to do those horrible things just to kill Dumbledore. How he loathed that part of him now.

"You were left with two choices: Do it and watch your parents receive the consequences if you fail, or be a coward." Dumbledore continued. "You thought you had a choice, but the truth is you don't. If Professor Snape hadn't killed me, Voldemort wouldn't have spared you. You were the real victim. He wanted you to try your hardest and fail at it so that he can be done with you and your family. You had also been a victim, Draco. But look at what you did." Dumbledore gestured to the scene still playing in front of them.

The past Draco lowered his trembling hand as tears flowed down his face. The real Draco remembered that moment. That was the moment that he didn't know what to do. At that moment, he felt that his parents' fates rested on him. He wanted to just get on with it and do it but his body wouldn't obey him. Instead of saying the incantation of the killing curse, he found himself lowering his hand.

"That was the moment that you chose your fate, Draco. Killing people severs one's soul. By doing so, you are damning your own life. But you lowered your wand and chose to spare an old man even though it might mean the death of you and your own family. You have chosen to save me." Dumbledore finished with a smile on his face as if that was the greatest thing in the world.

"But still, you're dead. You were killed because my mother made Snape promise that he'll kill you if I hadn't been able to." Draco reasoned. As if on cue, Snape appeared at the scene in front of them. He sauntered towards the Death Eaters surrounding the past Draco, his black cloak billowing behind him.

"I still would've died even if Snape hadn't killed me."

Draco's head snapped back to Dumbledore as he heard what he had said. "What do you mean?"

Dumbledore smiled meaningfully at him, his eyes twinkling behind the half-moon spectacles. "I can't tell you why I still would've died even if Professor Snape hadn't killed me. But remember this: There are things that are out of our control. They say that we can't do anything about what we can't control. They also say that what matters the most is what we do about things that we can be in command of. But I think differently. I think the thing that matters the most is how you strive and fight against the odds just to control what man naturally cannot. And you, my child, have done that. Even though at first, you had no power over your situation and you acted as Voldemort's puppet, in the end, you busted the cords tying you to him and did what you thought was right. You did what this told you to do." Dumbledore lifted his hand and placed it over his chest, indicating his heart. "In the darkest of times and the most difficult of situations, it is well known that a person will act as how his heart tells him to. And I believe what you did is enough proof that you are not evil at heart. Yes, you committed your mistakes but turning your back on an opportunity to do more horrible things simply means that you have the potential to erase every bad thing that you have done."

Draco felt his heart beat rapidly under Dumbledore's hand. He tried to understand what the man had said to him and he coordinated it with his interpretation of what he did. In the end, he was able to come up with one conclusion… 'I have the chance to change.' But alongside that, a question popped in his mind. 'Can I really fully change? Can I be a new person? A person that others won't criticize?'

Dumbledore looked at Draco and seemed to read what he was thinking. Silently, he waved his hand in the shape of an arc and the scene in front of them changed.

Draco, found himself engulfed by darkness once more. But unlike the first one, he didn't hear voices immediately. A faint light started gleaming from somewhere above and fell down onto the two of them. Draco gave the old man a questioning look.

"I believe you doubt that you can fully change. Yes, you have accepted that you have potential but you still have bits of doubt in there." Dumbledore said, pointing at Draco's chest once more. "Can you really change? Now, that is up to you."

"Professor, why is it so dark again?"

Instead of answering, Dumbledore waved his hand in the same manner he did earlier and to Draco's right, he saw images float in mid air.

"What are these?" The blond young man asked.

"Watch."

Draco waited as the images flew around him. There were several images. But what Draco realized, shocked him. The images in front of him were images of his own head, Hermione's, Ron's and Harry's along with all the heads of the former Slytherin and Gryffindor Quidditch Teams back when they were in their second year at Hogwarts. That was when Draco understood that those were images of their youth. After following the images flying in front of him with his eyes, he noticed that they slowly settled in front of him. After that, the heads sprouted bodies and clothes. Then, the surroundings changed from pitch blackness to the green grassed Hogwarts grounds.

"You see, Weasley, unlike some, my father can afford the best." The familiar arrogant drawl of the young Draco Malfoy sounded.

The real Draco stood there, frozen as he watched his own arrogant smirk plaster in his pale face. He and Dumbledore stood in front of the kids but no one seemed to notice them.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got it on pure talent." Hermione proudly defended the Gryffindor team.

Draco didn't need to watch in order to know what happened next. The words that he said back then were still fresh in his mind; so as the expression that soon crossed Hermione's face.

"Nobody asked your opinion, you filthy little mudblood."

"You're gonna pay for that one, Malfoy! Eat Slugs!" Ron yelled before a lime green light shot out from the wrong end of his wand and threw him off his feet.

The old Draco saw his young self laugh in jeer at the poor Weasley before he found himself spinning. He closed his eyes to avoid being dizzy and when he opened them again, he found himself standing, once again, at the Astronomy Tower.

He half-expected to find the former scene of him trying to kill Dumbledore at the Astronomy Tower at first. But when he looked around, he found that the setting had changed. He was still there but he wasn't sixteen. He was already the same age he was today. His other self was standing at the third to the last step going up the tower. He walked towards his other self, leaving Dumbledore behind. There was still no sound and he saw that he still wasn't moving. When he turned to ask Dumbledore what was happening, he caught sight of two other people at the Tower. There stood Rita Skeeter, towering above Hermione Granger. Then they started to move.

"What do you want?" Draco heard Hermione say in the same trembling voice she had that same night.

Skeeter answered. "Well, I was just roaming around the castle and looking for something that I can start a rumor about. And lucky me, I found you here, talking to yourself." The reporter started. She cackled annoyingly and then continued. "I can see the headline now. 'Famous witch, Hermione Granger, a real nerdy or a complete slut?' I mean, pregnant without a husband, or even a boyfriend. Now that's something, dear. I never really thought of you as hot but look at you. You managed to have someone knock you up. I gotta give you credit for that."

The scene continued to play in front of Draco. The exchange happened exactly the same way as it happened that night. After a few moments, he saw his other self emerge from the stairs.

"Look at what we have here." Draco stared as he saw his carbon copy make his way towards the ladies, hands in the front pockets of his pants. "What's going on?"

"Oh Draco, dear. You're just in time. I found the next juicy news. Thanks to Ms. Granger here." Skeeter said. It was apparent in her face that her bird brain was dancing the conga. Draco never hated her face as much as he hated her at that moment.

"Well, I don't care. You're not publishing it." Draco said with finality.

The same situation played around Draco and Dumbledore. Draco watched it, amazed and at the same time, he realized how different he was that the boy they just witnessed a while ago.

"I still don't understand why. You've changed. Even though you're still annoying, I think that bit would never change no matter what, but you're not as immature as before. And now you're helping me. I don't get why. But what you did tonight, it means a lot. I never thought I'd say these words to you but… Thank you…Draco." Hermione's grateful statement marked the nearing end of the memory. Draco knew what would come next.

"You're welcome…Hermy-one." The Draco copy laughed. "I think you should plan how you'd tell the others. It's better to do it soon." Draco saw his copy give a sincere smile. If he was right in remembering, that was the very first sincere smile that he had given Hermione. The copy started going down the stairs and spoke a final statement. "Goodnight, Hermione."

Before the scene turned back to pitch black, the real Draco saw Hermione give the very first smile, that reached her eyes, to him.

Draco next found an eleven year old Draco standing a few meters away from them, holding an old school broom along with the other first years. Draco remembered that memory. That was when Neville fell off his broom and he took Neville's remembrall.

"Did you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd remember to fall on his fat arse."

Then, the scene changed again. The memory Draco's appearance didn't change for it was the same year. The real Draco and Dumbledore were on the back row of one of Hogwarts' Quidditch Pitch stands. He saw that a few rows below him, Neville Longbottom was sitting along with Ron and Hermione. That was when his younger self poked Ron.

"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there. Wonder how long Potter's gonna stay in his broom this time. Wanna bet? How about you, Weasley?"

Nobody paid attention to what Malfoy had said and they just continued watching the game.

It was as if the young Draco really couldn't have other people ignoring him for he spoke again, clearly trying to insult the others to get their attention. "You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team? It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money. You should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."

"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy." Neville defended himself by stammering, which only made Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle bark with laughter.

"You tell him, Neville." Ron said, without taking his eyes off the game.

The young Malfoy, finding this very amusing, continued. "If brains were gold, Longbottom, you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."

That was the end of that memory. The next thing the real Draco knew, he was standing at the Staff room at Hogwarts. It took him a few minutes to adjust to the sudden change of memory. He saw his other self sitting on one of the armchairs. Hermione was sitting on the couch while reading a book. Cedric was browsing through the books kept in their book shelves. Neville was sitting on another armchair across Draco. Flitwick and Vector were conversing softly while sitting behind their desks, which were side-by-side.

"Are you guys all free today?" the memory Draco asked out of curiosity.

"Why, Draco, are you gonna ask us out on a date?" Cedric turned around, clutching a book he picked out from the shelf. He was wearing one of his teasing grins.

Draco turned to look at Cedric for a moment, sensing his teasing tone. "Well, I wasn't planning on it. But I really think that Neville should do that and just ask Hannah out on a date, don't you think so?" Draco finished, turning to Neville and wagging his eyebrows at him. He found it very amusing that Neville always blushed when they were talking about Hannah.

The real Draco watched. He remembered that day. They were all having free periods. While the other teachers were teaching their classes, it had been a routine of those who didn't have classes to teach to hang out at the Staff room. That certain memory was from several months ago. Hermione had already told the other teachers about her situation and they were all helping her cope with it. He had also established a good relationship with the other teachers. To say that he was surprised that they had accepted him was an understatement. He didn't expect them to treat him so lightly after what he had done when they were young. Especially Neville and Hannah who were his batch mates. But he figured that even though he had done horrible things to Neville, he wasn't the kind of person who held grudges. He was a kind of person who knew how to forgive. Cedric was the same and so as Hannah. And he was thankful to all of them.

Neville blushed at Draco's statement. "Not that again." He said with a groan.

"What? You really should. We all know you like her, right guys?" Draco turned to all of them, trying to find a cohort.

"If Neville didn't like Hannah, I'm not pregnant." Hermione said with a smirk without taking her eyes off of her book.

"Oh come on, Hermione. Not you too!" Neville whined.

"Well, it is true. Just do it, Neville. Or else, she'll be taken by someone else." Teased Cedric.

Neville's head snapped to Cedric. His eyes flashed with warning. "Are you implying something?"

Cedric laughed, getting what Neville's tone meant. "Don't worry, mate. I'm not gonna steal her from you. But if you don't do anything, she'll be taken by others. She's not gonna be forever single, waiting for you, you know?"

"Right, you are, Ced!" Draco exclaimed, getting up and walking toward Neville's spot. Neville stood up and Draco led him to the corner of the room, his hand on Neville's shoulder. "Hannah is gorgeous, Neville. I'm sure it won't be long before someone asks her out. You should get a move on or else, you'll lose her."

"But what do I do?"

"Just ask her out on a date, that's it."

"Easy for you to say, you have a way with ladies."

Draco plastered one of his lopsided grins. "I can't say that's not true but, man, you can do it! Come on, trust yourself. Just go on and do it!"

"But I really don't know what to say. What if I blew it? What if I make a fool of myself while I ask her out?" Neville continued to whine.

They heard Professor Flitwick's tiny voice call out to them. He chuckled before speaking. "You lot haven't changed much. You still act like teenagers."

"We are teenagers, Professor." Hermione answered matter-of-factly.

"Diggory isn't a teenager anymore. But he still…" Professor Vector butted in, leaving the last part of her sentence unrevealed.

Cedric who was already sitting down at Draco's former seat, turned to look at the Professor with a dramatic frown. "What is that supposed to mean, Professor?"

The answer of the two Professors was a loud laugh.

Draco, with a smile playing in his lips, turned back to Neville. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll help you. I'll tell you tips on how to do it. Just freakin' get it over with so that you two can hook up. You're driving us crazy, you know?" He finished with a grin.

Neville released a breath. "Okay, then. Thanks, Draco."

"Anytime, mate!" Draco gave Neville a couple of pats on the back before walking back to the couch and flopping down next to Hermione.

Before long, the real Draco watched as the scene dissolved into nothingness once more, another scene started playing. The scene that played next was a scene involving Draco, Pansy and Blaise talking at the Slytherin common room during their sixth year.

"A lot of boys like her." Pansy said, while eyeing Draco and Blaise's reactions at the corner of her eyes. "Even you think she's good looking, don't you, Blaise, and we all know you're hard to please!"

Blaise turned to her with an annoyed face. "I wouldn't touch a filthy blood traitor like her whatever she looked like."

Past Draco grunted disgustingly. "Pansy, I can't believe you saw her as attractive. I'm surprised that you even thought of looking at her. Her traitorous blood reminds me of how filthy she is, how her whole family is. It's disgusting that they're even called as purebloods."

The scene shifted immediately to another scene. The setting was still the Slytherin common room. But instead of Blaise and Pansy talking to Draco, the ones who were there were Crabbe and Goyle. Another difference was that Draco saw himself not as a sixteen year-old but a twelve year-old.

"Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them. You'd never know the Weasleys were pure-blood, the way they behave. They're an embarrassment to the Wizarding World, all of them." The young Draco scoffed.

That was all that played in front of Draco and Dumbledore before the scene changed once more. This time, it wasn't a scene from the far past. It was a scene from just that afternoon.

The real Draco found himself standing beside Dumbledore. Behind them stood the Draco from the memory with Hermione and Nathan on her arms. Dumbledore and Draco saw Ginny turn around with a vicious look on her face before they heard her speak. "And who told you that I'll go somewhere with a right foul, filthy git such as yourself?"

Embarrassment and nervousness crossed the man's face and then he retorted. "Proud, aren't yer? As if yer really beautiful. Yer a Weasley, fer crying out loud! I wonder what yer did to get Holyhead to recruit yer. I'm sure it's not money. Yer even poorer than snatchers. If yer from a family like the Weasleys, yer not worth it."

Draco saw a flash of blond and then soon found his memory self already in front of the man and clutching the collar of the man's shirt.

Fear showed in the man's face as he struggled to get off Draco's grip. "Who are yer? What are yer doing? Get yer hands off me!"

"How dare you talk to her like that? You have no right to insult someone because of their family, you understand that?" Draco viciously told the man. The real Draco saw, for the first time, the murderous look he had in his eyes during that moment. He didn't even remember how angry he was. That situation during that afternoon felt like it happened years ago because of everything that took place right after it happened. "I don't want to hear any insult you throw at someone who didn't do anything bad to you! And look at yourself, you filthy, foul moron! Compare yourself to the Weasleys; you're a snatcher, aren't you? You're not even worthy to be their toe rag! You have no right to insult somebody else's family. The Weasleys are tons better than you or any of us!"

After that, everything went black once more and then the light coming from above fell down on Draco and Dumbledore once more. Draco slightly jumped when he saw Dumbledore beside him. He almost forgot that he was there.

"Is it over, Professor?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly, staring and taking in Draco's expression.

"Why did you show me those memories, Professor?" Draco asked the old Headmaster.

"Simply because you are doubting yourself. Now that you have seen that, do you still have doubt that you can change into a better person? You have already started doing it, Draco. All you have to do is continue doing it and believe in yourself."

Draco stayed silent. He contemplated everything that he had seen. From seeing how arrogant and horrible he was when he was a kid, to seeing how much he had changed during the span of ten months, Draco thought of one thing. He thought that Dumbledore was right and that he had already started the journey towards being a better man. All he had to do was to continue it. He had to have the courage to continue.

Because of the silence from Draco's part, Dumbledore talked once more. "Are you really willing to change, Draco?"

Draco's head suddenly snapped up. He was just about to tell Dumbledore that he was right. But then Dumbledore seemed to have started doubting him. He couldn't have that. "Of course, Professor. Believe me, I do."

"If you do, Draco, prove it to me."

"What?"

"Prove it, my child."

"But how?"

Instead of answering, Dumbledore waved his hand for the third time in an arc and then darkness overcame Draco once more as grains of gold powder landed on his hair, shoulders and arms. He felt his consciousness slipping and his body slowly dropping to the ground. Before his eyes closed, he heard Dumbledore speak two words. "Prove it."

…..

* * *

"Wow, this is taking longer than we expected, huh?" George asked his twin brother. He was holding the empty popcorn bucket in an upside down manner while shaking it. "We're out of popcorn."

"Well, we don't have any more in stock. We just took that from a muggle grocery store out of curiosity. But I think we should go back there sometime. Don't you think so?" Fred answered. He took the two pieces of popcorn that was stuck in his nostrils and popped it in his mouth.

"Exactly what I was thinking of! But what are we going to do now that we have no more to eat?"

"Let's go inside and get some." Fred answered George. He instantly stood up and started walking towards the house when he was stopped by his mother.

"Stop right there, Fred. No more eating before dinner. Save your hunger for my cooking later." Molly said as she summoned Fred with her finger. Fred grudgingly stomped back

"Anyway, what are we waiting here for?" Charlie asked as he stretched his arms. Nobody left their spot in front of the shed. They had been staying there for a couple of hours and they didn't even know what was happening inside. What could you possibly do inside a shed that would take you hours to finish?

"We're actually waiting for him to come out. But I don't think he'll be out any sooner. We should probably go inside first. We'll know when he comes out." Ron was the one who answered this time. Hermione gave Ron a questioning look that made him look down on his feet.

It wasn't only Hermione who had turned questioningly at Ron. Even Arthur and Bill surveyed him with upturned eyebrows.

"What do you know, Ron?" Bill voiced out his curiosity.

Before Ron could be in a more difficult situation, Ginny saved his brother. "Let's just go inside, please. My legs are stiffening even more every minute we stay here. It's cold. It's not gonna do any good if we stay here any longer. Besides, it wouldn't be good for the baby to stay here in the cold." Ginny said, jerking her head towards Nathan.

"Okay then, Ginny's right." She didn't know anything about the baby but Ginny was right. Staying in the cold wouldn't be good for the baby. She'd know because she had gone over taking care of toddlers six times already. "But what about Ma-Draco?" She finished with difficulty. She still wasn't used to the idea of calling Malfoy Draco too much.

"He'll be okay there. It's not cold inside." George replied. He stood up from the bench and started walking towards the house. Everyone followed his suit. Fred was the last one to walk towards their house, flicking his wand as he left. The benches and the buckets floated after him and followed him.

Once they were inside, Molly flicked her wand in the direction of the fireplace and an orange fire blazed. Everyone took a seat and tried to huddle closer to the fire as best as they could, trying to keep warm. Fleur sat beside Bill and wrapped her arms around his waist. Penelope huddled closer to Percy.

"Awww. The lovers are having their moments. I miss Angelina." Fred said while he rubbed his hands together.

"Yeah, me too. Not Angelina. I meant Katie." George said with a chuckle when his brother's head jerked up and he looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"I know, George! Aren't we going to fetch them yet?"

"Well, I'm sure they're still practicing. Katie told me they'll probably finish at about 6:30. It's still 4:30 so they're not done yet." George calculated the time. Their girlfriends were both chasers for Puddlemere United with Oliver Wood and their practice usually lasts until before dinner.

"I'll fetch Luna before dinner too. We should all just leave at the same time later." Ron offered.

Fred nodded in agreement and was about to open his mouth to say something when a loud giggle ripped through the semi-silence of the Burrow. Nathan had woken up.

"Ooooh. The little tyke's awake. Took you long enough, eh kiddo?" Ron smiled as he walked from his spot on the floor in front of the fireplace towards Hermione and Nathan. He held his arms out and Hermione placed the giggling little boy in his arms. Ron made to lift him high up and down. The boy laughed hysterically as the wind swished through his brown locks.

"Stop it, Ron. He might get dizzy." Hermione ordered as her eyes followed her son.

"Oh come on, 'Mione. Your son loves it, look!" Ron said, his wide grin still not leaving his lips.

There were multiple gasps from the girls, except Ginny, once they heard what Ron said. Ron seemed to realize his mistake for he abruptly stopped playing with Nathan.

The boy, enjoying the throwing session, cocked his head to the side as if in confusion when Ron stopped.

"Ron, what did you just say?" Percy asked his brother.

Ron answered him with a very intellectual stammer. "Well-err-urm-uhhhh."

Percy, sensing that no useful answer would come out of his brother's mouth, turned to Hermione instead. "The baby's your SON?"

Hermione gulped audibly. She surveyed everyone in the room and saw that each of them was waiting for her answer. Their eyes didn't seem to blink as they waited. "Yes, he is."

"Adopted son, you surely mean?" Fleur answered.

Hermione's eyes flared with annoyance at what Fleur had said. "What? No!" She said, a little louder than necessary. "He's my biological son!"

"What?" The twins simultaneously exclaimed.

"How can that be?" Percy incredulously asked.

"Well, apparently, she conceived him and she gave birth to him. That was kind of obvious, don't you think?" Ginny sarcastically said with a roll of her eyes.

"We're not kidding, Ginny." Bill sternly said to his sister and then turned to Hermione. "How did this happen, Hermione? You stayed here before you went to Hogwarts. How is it possible that you have a son now? How old is he?"

"Four months."

Charlie butted in, his fingers curling and uncurling in his hands, trying to count the months. "If my calculations are correct, if the boy's four months now, then that means that before you went to Hogwarts, you were…"

"Three months pregnant." Hermione finished for Charlie.

Silence immediately followed Hermione's answer. But before long, Molly asked. "Who is the father, Hermione?"

Hermione had braced herself for this question long ago. But still, the impact of the question and the fact that she had to tell them the truth afterwards, made her extremely nervous. She cleared her throat before talking. "I know if I tell you who the father is, you'll all ask next if I told him about it already-"

"Wait! Is it Malfoy?" Fred's eyes widened as he realized that bit.

"No!" Hermione found herself raising her eyebrows at the possibility of her having a child with Malfoy. It was just too much to even imagine. It wasn't because she loathed Draco. In fact, they were good friends now. It was just the idea of her falling for him that made her stare disbelievingly at Fred. "Of course not! What gave you that idea?"

"Oh." Fred sighed with relief. "Sorry. I just thought. It's just because you said that he has been helping you. I just thought that maybe he's the father that's why he helped you."

"No, that's not it. He was a great friend when I needed one. I owe him a lot. But that's all."

"Then, who is it?" George asked.

"As I was saying, I know you all will ask whether I've told the father or not. But please, I've tried and…" Hermione started. She looked down on her shoes before continuing. "Believe me, I've tried. I wanted to tell you guys about this but I want to ask you one thing before I answer your question."

Hermione looked at everyone. She saw all of them nod silently. She looked at Ginny, who nodded for her to continue. She surveyed Ron, who smiled at her for support while his hair was being tugged at by the overly concentrated toddler in his arms.

"I want everyone to promise to not contradict what I'll decide to do. I need your help, yes, I really do. But whatever I decide, I need your full support on my decision. Most importantly, I need you to promise that whatever I'll say here tonight will remain inside the four corners of this room. Please promise me." Hermione finished, her eyes lingering to Fred and George the longest, trying to warn them to please not let anything slip to anyone.

"You have our word, Hermione." Arthur Weasley, the head of the family, spoke in behalf of everyone. He stared at each and every person in the room, asking for their cooperation. Everyone answered with a nod.

"Harry is his father."

A squeak from George sounded after Hermione finally answered their question. Not long after, sobs emitted from Molly Weasley. She had already realized what Hermione was going through at the moment, a gist of it, at least. Hermione had a son with Harry and Harry was off somewhere away from her and the baby. Surely, something had gone wrong between them. The mother of the whole family stood up and stormed towards Hermione, wrapping her arms tightly around her.

Hermione felt Molly's shoulders shaking and that gave away her control. Tears started streaming down her cheeks as her mother figure hugged her.

"Oh, what happened, sweetie?" Molly asked Hermione. She released her and stared at her brown eyes with concern.

"I also, honestly, don't know. I just feel that everything went wrong between us. He left and right now, I feel like I'm just a hindrance to his life with Cho and everything else."

"Have you talked to him?"

"I tried but Cho asked me not to bother him anymore because he's happy about what he's doing now. And after finding out about their engagement, I don't think I still have a place with him anymore." Hermione sobbed. Ginny, who was already behind her, comforted her and rubbed circles on her back in a soothing motion.

Ron, who was still holding Nathan, wrapped his arms tighter around the boy who was now staring at his mother in confusion.

"What are you planning now?" Molly asked.

"I plan to leave him alone. At least that was what I decided to do before. But I'm still not sure. It's just so difficult to decide. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't want to give up on him but leaving him to be happy seems to be the right thing to do."

"What does your heart say?"

"A lot of things. Four months ago when I gave birth to Nathan, I realized that I've been waiting for nothing. I waited for him to just say a single word to me or contact or anything. But nothing came. I wanted to blame him for leaving me to deal with this alone but as time pass and Nathan grows, I realize that I need him with me and that our baby needs him. I really don't want to give up now but it's opposing to what I think is right, which is letting him be happy with the woman he loves."

"Hermione, dear. We are really oblivious to was has been happening between you and Harry. But I know Harry and he won't purposely do things to hurt you. Even the family is still confused as to why he hasn't been contacting us. Besides that letter he sent on his birthday, there are no other letters. Then we read about him and Cho. We still don't know if we'll believe it or not. We're getting worried about him. But we figured he's a responsible man and he can take care of himself. But your case is different. Does he already know?" Molly asked. It was only Molly who was talking to Hermione. The whole of the boys decided to leave this matter to their mother who knows a lot more than they do.

"Not yet. I haven't really talked to him in person or directly. The last time I tried, Cho talked to me and told me to leave him alone." Hermione explained, wiping her tears from her eyes.

"Then, there you go. Being the father of your baby, Harry deserves to know the truth. And until he isn't oblivious to it anymore, you shouldn't stop trying. Harry is a responsible and mature man. He knows what will be good for him and he knows how to deal with the consequences of his actions. Once you've told him, you will know what to do. Because he will decide for you. But until then, you shouldn't stop trying."

Hermione looked at her second mother. She thought about everything that she sad. The next thing she found herself doing was nodding.

Ginny spoke after her mother. "Mum's right, Hermione. I told you Harry will know what to do. What you should worry about right now is how you'll contact him. Besides, the gut feeling I had that something truly went wrong is still there. It didn't leave me. So I say you go for it, for yourself, for Nathan and surely for Harry."

Hermione found herself smiling, a new wave of hope was bubbling inside her. She wasn't alone. The Weasleys, her second family, will help her as long as they could. She didn't have to worry too much. She wouldn't give up. Not until Harry tells her to bugger off.

"Don't worry, Hermione. We wouldn't intervene with whatever you decide." Fred started.

"But remember that we'll always be right behind you." George finished.

The others smiled supportively at her and she smiled back at them gratefully. She reached her arms out to Nathan who was still staring at her with confused eyes. The baby stretched his short arms to her and hugged her neck. Hermione hugged the baby tightly and whispered to her son. "Baby, we're not alone."

That was what happened before everyone's head snap to the back door when they heard the door of the shed creak open. The first thing that they did was stand up and ran towards the direction of the shed.

* * *

"Prove it, my child."

"But how?"

Instead of answering, Dumbledore waved his hand for the third time in an arc and then darkness overcame Draco once more as grains of gold powder landed on his hair, shoulders and arms. He felt his consciousness slipping and his body slowly dropping to the ground. Before his eyes closed, he heard Dumbledore speak two words. "Prove it."

…..

Draco Malfoy opened his eyes to see stars blinking down on him. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he tried to sit up. Once he was already sitting upright, he tried to remember what had happened and where he was at that moment. He raked his mind for any hint that would lead to the answer as to why he was there. But all he remembered was that he had read a book on Potions before going to bed late the past night. He even remembered purposely sleeping late because it was weekend the next day. But what was he doing there, on a hill at nighttime?

His reverie was broken when he heard a loud shriek. He looked around to see if someone else was there at that hill with him but he saw that he was perfectly alone. Draco heard another shriek that was even louder than the first one. Hearing it made shivers run down his spine. He quickly stood up and dusted himself. And there, way down the hill, he saw his own house, Malfoy Manor.

Draco cursed himself inwardly for not being able to recognize the hill that he had been looking at since he was a kid.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!" Another shriek.

Draco's head snapped furiously at the Manor. What could have been happening at the Manor now? He had left it empty when he went to Hogwarts. What could that shrieking mean? Did it mean that someone broke into his house? With that bugging his mind, he sprinted down the hill towards the Manor. Apparating wasn't a choice because of the wards around the whole lot.

Once he made it in front of the gate, he stopped to catch his breath. He leaned on his knees and let his head down, his hair swaying as he took huge breaths. At the moment he looked up at the front gates, he saw a man standing a few meters away from the gate, facing his right. Or was it really a man? Draco squinted at the figure and saw that it wasn't a full man. It was a werewolf. "Greyback." He murmured with gritted teeth as he ran towards the side of the gate to hide, his back was flat against the wall surrounding the lot of the Manor.

_What the bloody hell is he doing at my house? He is supposed to be in Azkaban, isn't he?_ Draco thought to himself as he hid. He peeked through the gates and saw that Greyback was now facing his direction but didn't seem to have noticed him yet. He hid once more and contemplated what he was going to do. Will he go to his house and risk being seen by a werewolf? Nobody else knew thst among all of Voldemort's Death Eaters, the ones he feared the most was Greyback because he wasn't human and his own Aunt Bellatrix, who was a crazy psycho murderer.

Draco was about to run back to the hill and out the wards to apparate back to Hogsmeade and just go back to the castle when he heard the shriek again. But this time, it wasn't just a shriek. Since he was already near the gate, he could now hear the pleadings of the person screaming. She was a woman.

"Please! D-d-don't do this! P-pleaase!" The woman shouted.

Draco didn't know why but he felt something when he heard the woman's begs. He felt like there was something pulling him and compelling him to help her.

"F**king loud. Someone should just kill her. How can she shout that loud?" Draco heard Greyback's husky voice. He was already behind the gate, apparently guarding. Why the guarding was necessary, Draco didn't know.

Hearing Greyback say that they would kill the girl caused Draco to shiver. He was torn between escaping and staying. He didn't know if he would escape and save himself from those vicious people or save the girl from their hands. But the girl shouted once more and what she shouted made Draco decide immediately.

"Please! Stop, please! H-help me! D-d-draco! D-d-"

Draco's face paled when he heard his name being called. His hand curled tightly. He didn't know who the girl was and why she was shouting his name but at that moment, he felt that he had to help her. He took a deep breath and walked away from his hiding place.

Greyback whipped his wand out when he saw a figure behind the gate. He pointed it at the man, whose face was still hidden by the shadows. "Who are you?"

Draco stepped out of the shadow and revealed his face. "It's me."

"Oh, it's you. Finally came back, eh?" Greyback smirked.

Draco felt the hairs on his arms standing up. He stepped through the gate. He was expecting it to vanish completely because he had charmed the gate to vanish at the moment that he or Blaise or Pansy or someone who's part of the family stepped near it. But instead of vanishing, the gate turned to smoke and he felt his left arm, where his dark mark was etched, tingle just like how it did when Voldemort was using the Manor as Headquarters.

"What are you doing at my house and what's happening inside?" Draco asked Greyback.

"Wait, your house? This is Lucius' the last time I checked and what's with that tone?"

"My father is in Azkaban. You are supposed to be there too." Draco answered.

Just as expected, Greyback growled at Draco. "Watch you mouth, boy!"

Draco ignored Greyback and continued sauntering towards the front door. "You belong there." Draco said as he walked away from Greyback. He said it when he thought that he was already out of Greyback's earshot. But he was wrong.

The next things that Draco felt were huge hands pushing him to the ground. He landed on his face with a thud. "What did you just say?" Greyback yelled

Draco tried to get away but Greyback held both Draco's arms behind his back. That was when Draco heard footsteps against the cold concrete path.

"What's happening here?"

"Yaxley, this boy insulted me. I'll kill him!" Greyback growled.

_Yaxley?_ Draco thought. What the hell was happening? He knew for sure that Yaxley was dead. Draco looked up, the only thing he could do at the moment, and there, towering over him, stood Yaxley.

"So, the prodigal son is back just like Lucius expected. Hold him, Greyback! Let's have fun first, shall we? Before we let him go to his daddy." Yaxley roared with laughter as he walked back and forth in front of Draco, who was having extreme difficulty at looking up while his arms were bounded.

"Let me go! You're dead! What are you doing here?" Draco shouted with difficulty.

Yaxley's face dimmed. He looked down at Draco, his eyes gleaming with danger. "What did you just say, boy?"

"I told you his mouth needed cleaning. He said I was supposed to be in Azkaban!" Greyback piped in.

"Because you are! And you, Yaxley, are dead!" Draco desperately shouted at both of them. That gesture earned him a kick in the face. He didn't know why the heck they were there. He was just telling the truth. Yaxley was dead and Greyback was captured.

"Be careful with what you're saying, boy. It just might happen to you." Yaxley warned. Then he laughed. Greyback followed suit.

Draco's eyes blurred and he went dizzy because of the forceful kick. As his eyes focused once more, the girl from the house shrieked once more.

Yaxley and Greyback abruptly stopped laughing when they heard the shriek. Both of them looked at the Manor as the girl shrieked.

Draco took this as an opportunity. He took a deep breath, readying himself for what he was about to do. With as much force, speed and silence as he could muster, he rolled out from under Greyback, whipped out his wand from his robes and stunned the too-shocked-to-move werewolf.

Yaxley turned his head back towards Greyback and Draco only to see Greyback already several feet away and Draco completely unrestrained and with a wand in his hand. He acted as fast as he could.

Draco was about to deal with Yaxley next when he felt something hit him. The next thing he felt was a burning sensation engulfing his body. He felt like his whole body was on fire and his mind was whirling. His head was throbbing and he couldn't move. His body was numb. All he could do was writhe in pain as Yaxley tortured him. He felt his wand roll out of his hand.

"Thought you could outsmart me, boy? You're an idiot! You can deal with Greyback but not me!" Yaxley angrily said. He looked down on him and aimed a kick at his ribs.

Draco screamed in pain as he rolled on the spot. After what seemed like years, he felt the pain subside. He opened his eyes only to see Yaxley's sneer. "You'll pay for this! Not long now, my father will come and help me!"

"Still a daddy's boy, aren't you? Well let me burst your bubble, blondie. I'm not an idiot like you. I cast muffliato around us. Now, you can say goodbye to your hope of someone helping you." Yaxley sneered. He lifted his wand above Draco and yelled in a triumphant voice. "Crucio!"

Just like before, Draco felt the burning feeling. But it was worse. Now, he felt like his body was being incinerated and frozen at the same time. He didn't even think that was possible but he felt it. Through the pain and his screams, Draco heard Yaxley's voice.

"Ah. Music to my ears. You know, you have a great scream of pain. Very melodious. A tenor, I think you are." Yaxley said. As he was circling the writhing boy once more, another scream of pain echoed. Yaxley abruptly stopped. He lowered his wand to allow Draco to relax and hear the other scream coming from inside the house. "You hear that, boy? That's soprano!" Yaxley finished with a mirthful laugh.

Draco breathed in and breathed out with difficulty. The pain ceased again but the throbbing of his rib continued. He curled as his body ached. With difficulty, Draco heard the girl's screams. Although Yaxley had stopped torturing Draco, hearing the girl's screams still made Draco wince in pain. Draco turned to his right, making his back turn to Yaxley.

"Beautiful sound, isn't it?" Yaxley sarcastically said. "It harmonizes with yours marvelously, if you ask me. Perfect with each other. No wonder she became your girl."

At that statement, Draco's eyes widened and his face paled. He rolled again to face Yaxley. "What do you mean? W-w-who is she?" Draco asked as soon as the yelling ceased.

Yaxley sneered at Draco. "Don't tell me that you haven't figured it out. That's your girlfriend inside. I don't know why the hell she's being tortured but still, I like the sound of her pain." Yaxley paused. He crouched down so that his face was closer to Draco as he told him who the girl was. "That's Astoria Greengrass right there, Malfoy Junior."

Draco felt his stomach contract. His breath caught in his throat as soon as he heard the name. No wonder she was calling out his name. Years ago, he had told her to call him whenever she's in trouble and he'd surely come to her rescue. As if on cue, Astoria's scream ripped the silence of the night. "Let her go!" Draco screamed in rage. "What did she ever do to you? Why are you doing this to her?"

"I told you, I don't know! But considering how her family declined being at the Dark Lord's service, I say she deserves worse. She deserves to die!" Yaxley spat in Draco's face.

That did it. Draco felt all pain and tiredness slip away. The past numbness of his body, vanishing. He found his body shaking with rage as he heard what Yaxley said. His eyes blurred in anger. With his hand, that was still tucked behind him as he lied in his side facing Yaxley, he groped for his wand. As soon as his fingers closed around the stick, he braced himself.

Yaxley was oblivious to what was happening until he was attacked. He was foolish enough to not disarm Draco and take his wand. He was paying for his own foolishness.

"Stupefy!" Draco yelled with as much loudness as he could muster. He could feel his heart pulsing rapidly in his chest. His knuckles were white as he curled his hand tighter around his wand. He was shaking with resentment.

Due to the vigor of Draco's spell, it hit Yaxley with enough force to make him fly up and spin in midair before he landed with a crash on the concrete path. Draco didn't spare time anymore and sprinted towards the front door to rescue Astoria.

* * *

"Why are you doing this to me?" Astoria yelled at Lucius as she squirmed, trying to escape the ropes binding her arms behind her back. "What did I do to you?"

"You didn't do anything." Lucius answered Astoria, his wand in his hand and pointing at her. "I just need to know something from you."

"What is it?"

"Where is my son?"

"Draco? Why are you asking me? He's your son, for bloody Merlin's sake!" Astoria yelled. She was sitting on the floor and looking up at Lucius.

"Don't use that reasoning and tone with me, Greengrass!"

"He's your bloody son and you don't know where he is. What kind of father are you?" A male voice sounded from Astorias right. She didn't notice before that there was another person in the room. She looked at her right and saw a man also sitting on the floor, his hands also bound by ropes behind his back. Astoria's eyes flew to the person's face and there, she saw Harry Potter.

"Don't talk, Potter. No one asked your opinion." Lucius deadpanned, not even turning to look at Harry.

"I don't need to ask you if I wanted to talk, Malfoy. You don't deserve that honor" Harry said. His face was blank. He didn't look even a bit scared, unlike Astoria.

"No more talking, Potter, or else, I'll kill you!" Lucius threatened. He finally turned to look at Harry and pointed his wand at him.

"Do it. I'm not scared of you."

Lucius gritted his teeth and closed his eyes to relax himself. He gripped his wand tighter and took a deep breath. "No. I won't kill you yet. I will let Draco do the honors."

"Why? Astoria asked.

Lucius' head whipped around to look back at Astoria. He cocked his head to the side and answered her. "Because he is starting to lose the willingness to do it. By making him kill Potter, his enemy, he will feel the greatness of the deed. His desire with this stuff will re-ignite. He will be happy to kill Potter." Lucius explained as if the subject of his explanation wasn't there and wasn't hearing what he was saying. A couple of days ago, they had kidnapped Ron and Hermione and used them to blackmail him. Due to Harry's weakness involving seeing the people he cared for being hurt, he had surrendered himself in exchange of freeing his best friends just like how he surrendered himself to Voldemort.

"Well, what ensures you that Draco will want to do that? You already said that he's already losing the willingness." Astoria yelled at him. She knew for a fact that Draco wouldn't do it. He wasn't able to kill Dumbledore and even if Harry was an enemy of his, Draco wasn't that kind of person. He was just brainwashed by his father that's why he did what he did in the past. But he couldn't kill of his own accord. That was what she knew.

"Because he is my son! I know him. I know he hated Potter. I know he will do it and his love for these deeds will return! After that, we'll continue what the Dark Lord didn't finish. We will finish it together and earn the respect of the whole Wizarding World! He will love that!"

"You're wrong!" Astoria yelled desperately, tears streaming down her face. She knew Draco. She loved him and she knew he wouldn't do it. "You're wrong! You might be his father but you don't know anything! How could you expect your son to do something like that? What kind of father are you? You're the worst father!"

That was when it started. Due to Lucius' rage, he flicked his wand and muttered "Crucio!"

Astoria writhed in pain as the curse hit her. She screamed at the top of her lungs at the moment she felt the pain caused by the torture curse. Because of the loudness of her voice, her scream would've been heard even from a long distance. She kicked and wriggled out of the bonds of the rope desperately as if escaping from the rope will free her from the pain of the curse.

Harry, whose face was calm and blank before, winced as he watched Astoria writhe in pain in her seat. His hands curled into a ball as he tried to escape the bonds holding him. He knew Astoria. They were batch mates back at Hogwarts. Although she was a Slytherin, Harry knew that she wasn't like the others. She was with Malfoy, Zabini and Pansy back in their sixth year but every time they taunted him and other people, she would silently leave and walk away. She was a Slytherin only in name. Seeing someone being tortured without doing anything bad always made Harry angry. It didn't matter if he didn't know her too much or that she was a Slytherin. At that moment, all Harry wanted to do was help her.

"Don't ever say that to me!" Lucius angrily said. His lip curled in anger. His hair was hugging his clammy face. He lifted his wand and released Astoria from the pain of the curse. "Now, tell my where my son is or I'll torture you again."  
"I-I-I don't know!' Astoria stammered as she breathed heavily. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry's face crumple in anger.

"Liar!" Lucius yelled as he raised his wand once more and pointed it at Astoria. Just like the first time, Astoria screamed in pain. "I know that you know where he is. He'll surely come to you! Speak!" Lucius ordered.

Astoria let out another piercing scream as the pain intensified. She wanted it to stop. She wanted escape the pain. Lucius was ordering her to tell him where Draco was. But she was telling the truth. She didn't know a thing. Also, even if she knew, she wouldn't tell him. "Please! D-d-don't do this! P-pleaase!"

"Stop it, Malfoy!" Harry yelled at Lucius as he tried desperately to get out of the ropes. "If she said she doesn't know, it means she doesn't know!"

Lucius' eyes flared with annoyance. He turned to Harry and pointed his wand at him. By doing so, Astoria was freed from the Cruciatus cruse. "Don't intrude other's business, Potter. Be quiet. You don't have to wait too long. Once I find my son, you'll be silent forever." He finished.

"Why are you still doing this, Lucius? Voldemort is dead! It's over! Why don't you just give up?" Harry asked, his voice was loud dripping with anger.

"That's exactly why, Potter! You killed the Dark Lord! You put an end to our hopes of having a new world! You destroyed everything!" Lucius accused. He walked towards Potter and aimed a kick at his legs.

Due to the force, Harry's leg turned numb. But he tried his best to hide the pain from his face. Or else, it'll just satisfy Malfoy once more. "What kind of world? A world of pure-bloods? That's hell! I'd die first before I let that happen!"

"That, you will be. Just you wait, Potter." Lucius spat before kneeing Harry's face. Harry heard his nose break before he felt warm blood trickling down his nose. His head swirled with lightheadedness.

"Now, Greengrass! Speak! Where is my son?" Lucius continued to ask as he walked towards the heap on the floor, who was Astoria.

"You won't get away with this! You'll pay! Once someone comes to help, it'll be the end of you!" Astoria threatened as tears continued spilling from her eyes.

"You're not in the right spot to threaten someone, Greengrass. And who do you think will come and help you? Nobody." Lucius pointed his wand at her. "I' not gonna stop doing this to you until you tell me where Draco is or until you go insane." With that last statement, Lucius tortured her once more.

Astoria closed her eyes as the burning sensation returned. She felt like heavy weights were crashing down on her. She felt like her throat was being kicked multiple times. At that moment, she thought she was gonna die. Scenes from her life started flashing in her mind. The times she spent with her family, the day she got her letter, the day she first saw Draco, the day he told her he loved her, the night he first kissed her and that time when he told her that he'll always be there; he'll always help her when she needs him. All she had to do was call him. Without knowing she did, she screamed his name with all her might along with her begs. "Please! Stop, please! H-help me! D-d-draco! D-d-" Then the pain subsided.

"You called his name. Are you implying that he'll come for you? Do you think he knows that you're here? Why would he notice that you're gone?" Lucius babbled. He paced back and forth in front of Astoria as if he was trying to figure out if it's possible for Draco to come in rescue of Astoria. "That's not possible because nobody knew we took you. Not unless you live together?" Lucius stopped pacing and faced Astoria once more. "Are you living together?"

Astoria kept silent; partly because she doesn't want to communicate with the vile man and partly because it was extremely difficult to talk. But Lucius wanted and answer and if he wanted one, he would do anything to get one.

Lucius kicked Astoria in the stomach, which made her cough hysterically. "Answer!" That was when Harry threw himself in front of Astoria.

"Stop it! If you want information, you don't have to do this to her! If it's true that they really have something between them, your son isn't gonna like the fact that you're hurting her. Stop hurting her!" Harry yelled as he blocked Astoria from Lucius with his own body.

"That wouldn't happen, Potter, because she wouldn't say a single word to him." Lucius said. After that, he swung his feet and kicked Harry away from Astoria. Harry slid away, his abdomen, where he was kicked, contracting in pain. "Are we clear?" He turned to Astoria, who didn't answer again. "I said are we clear?" Lucius said, his anger was reaching a high level. With all the anger he was feeling, he tortured her.

The pain that hit Astoria was nothing like the former pain she had been experiencing just moments before. It wasn't only physical torture. It was mental torture as well. She closed her eyes and felt them roll to the back of her eyes. But while her eyes were closed, visions and scenes, where her most loved people were being mercilessly killed and hurt, played in her mind. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out. Her mouth was open and poised in a scream but no sound was coming out from her.

Harry averted his eyes from Astoria. He couldn't take in the scene in front of him. She was trying to scream to no avail. He knew what would come next. She would beg to be killed and if the torturing continued, it would surely drive her insane. "Stop it! Stop it, Lucius!" Harry said, his voice was cracking. Tears streamed down his face as he remembered how it felt like to be tortured. He remembered how Sirius looked like when he had a vision of him being tortured by Voldemort. He hated that memory.

Just like how Harry predicted, Astoria's face turned blank. She stopped writhing but the tears kept coming out of her eyes. "Kill me. Just kill me…" She said with an eerily calm voice. Then she kneeled. Her blank face turned hysterical once more. "Kill me! Please just kill me!" She finished with another scream then she slumped back on the floor.

Lucius, whose face was contorted with anger, turned to Harry next. He released Astoria from the curse but her face remained contorted in agony. To him, he was done with Astoria. He didn't get any information. In short, she was just a waste of time. "Potter," Lucius stated. He released Harry from the ropes as he walked towards him. After that, Lucius threw Harry's wand at him and at the same time, he pointed his own wand at Harry's throat. "You wanted to help her, didn't you? Here's your chance. Help her." Lucius finished as he banished the ropes that were previously bounding Astoria. Those ropes wouldn't be needed anymore.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked through gritted teeth. He had his wand. He could easily stun Lucius and escape. A wand on his throat isn't something that can threaten him. Not after having Voldemort, himself, point his wand at him. But the thought of still being able to help Astoria tempted him to listen and ask. He wanted to help her. He knew it wasn't his business and they weren't friends at all but she needed help and he had the ability to help her. He wouldn't take the chance to be helped from her. "How can I help her?"

"You heard her. She wanted to die now. Finish her agony and kill her." Lucius simply said as if it was as if killing Astoria was as simple as stepping on a wretched cockroach.

"You bastard!-" Harry yelled but he was cut off by loud bang, indicating that the door was bluntly pushed open. He looked at the direction of the door and found none other than Draco Malfoy standing near it.

Draco took in the scene in front of him. He saw three people in the room. Potter, who was sitting at the floor, his wand gripped tightly at his hand; his father with his wand trained at Potter's throat and Astoria, breathing heavily with blank face and eyes, lying on the floor. "Astoria!" Draco shouted as he stormed towards the heap on the floor, that was his ex-girlfriend. "What happened?" He asked helplessly as he held her in his arms. She was still not responding to his attempts on waking her up from her reverie. Compared to her sufferings, his pains seemed like a touch of feather.

Lucius stared shocked at his own son. He didn't expect him to barge in on them while he tortured the girl he loved. He was glad to see his son but his panic was more overwhelming. He didn't know what to say to Draco. He raked his mind for possible lies that could hide his deeds. He turned to look at Potter and remembered that he had given him his wand. "It was Potter! I kept him here with his hands bound. I didn't' know how he got hold of his wand." Lucius immediately said, his wand poking Harry's throat. "About Astoria, I saw her lurking about the lot. She said she was looking for you. I brought her here and told her that she could stay here, until we find you, without worrying about Yaxley, Greyback and the others. I told her I'd keep her safe from them. After that, I left her for a moment to do something. After a few hours, I heard frantic screaming. I looked around the whole house before I found her here with Potter torturing her."

"Wait, how is that possible?" Draco asked. His face was crunched in confusion and agony. "Yaxley said-"

Before Draco could contradict him, Lucius cut him off. "Don't believe what they said. I'm your father. You should believe me."

"Don't believe him, he's lying." Harry said. He looked at Lucius with vicious eyes. It was as if he was trying to kill him with his stare. "He's the one who did this to Astoria. He was trying to extract information from her regarding where you are. She didn't have an answer to him. That's why he did this to her. When he was through with her, he gave me my wand and told me to-" Harry didn't finish what he was saying for his lips came in contact of Lucius' knees.

Lucius felt his knees sting as it made contact with Harry's face. He had kneed him. He shouldn't let Draco know the truth or he'll be angry at him and just leave him again. "Are you seriously going to believe this rubbish, Draco?" Lucius asked his son. He gave Harry a warning look before flicking his wand, making Harry's wand fly to his hand and the ropes to re-tie themselves around Harry's arms. "It's Potter. You should kill him for doing this to Astoria."

Draco stared helplessly at Astoria. His head was swirling with questions. He didn't know what to believe. He cried as he cradled Astoria in his arms. As he looked at her, he forgot his own sores and pain. Not long after, he saw his father kneel beside him.

"She didn't deserve this fate, Draco." Lucius lied. It was easy for him to pretend that he was sorry for what happened to Astoria. For him, lying was as easy as flicking his wand. "Avenge her, my son. Kill Potter and avenge her."

"Are you an idiot, Draco! Don't believe him! This is all his work!" Harry said angrily. He cursed himself inwardly when he realized that he had the chance to punish Lucius and he let it pass. If he only knew that this would happen, he would've just killed him when the chance presented itself. "He did that to her!"

"Silence, Potter!" Lucius ordered. He stood up from his spot in front of Astoria and walked towards Harry. "You have to pay for what you have done to her!"

"Liar! I didn't do anything!" Harry said as he struggled to get out of the ropes once more. If only he could curl his fingers around that pale neck of Lucius', it would be easier.

"Draco, kill him!"

Draco stared at Astoria's blank eyes. That was what it took for his anger to heighten. He had been longing to see her ever since she left. But he didn't anticipate that he would be seeing her in that state. He kissed her forehead as tears continued to flow down his from his eyes. After that, he slowly lowered her on the cold floor. Draco stood up and stood beside his father. He faced Harry and stared at him in the eyes as he pointed his wand at him. He had made his decision. Someone had to pay for what happened to her.

Harry, sensing that Draco was already in the verge of believing his father, yelled at him. "It's not me! Draco, we know each other since out first year at Hogwarts. You know I couldn't do what he's accusing me of." Harry defended himself. It wasn't only because he didn't want to die. It was also because of Astoria. He had witnessed what had happened to her and in his opinion, she didn't deserve those. Just like Draco, he wanted the person responsible to pay fro the deed. That person was Lucius, not him. Draco had to know the truth. "Astoria never did anything bad to me. Why would I do that to her?"

"Don't listen to him. Kill him now!" Lucius ushered.

Draco stared intently at Harry's bloody face. He contemplated what Harry said and then he realized something. He tried to remember how Harry looked when he barged in on them. He remembered that his face had been bloody. Why was his face full of fresh blood if he was the one hurting Astoria? She had no wand and he had. There was no possibility that Astoria could've tackled Harry Potter. With that thought, Draco lowered his wand.

"What are you doing, Draco? Why are lowering your wand? This filthy half-blood tortured her to insanity!"

"N-n-no, he didn't."

All three of them, Lucius, Harry and Draco, whipped their heads to the direction of the voice. Their eyes landed on Astoria. She had woken up, Draco being there and holding her just a moment ago helped her to shake out of slowly turning insane. But she was still lying down. Immediately, Draco ran to her side. He helped her up and wrapped his arms around her.

"Astoria, you're okay." Draco said, his lips curving into a relieved smile.

"It's not Harry. I-i-it's…" Astoria said. She lifted her finger and pointed it shakily at Lucius.

Draco followed Astoria's finger with his eyes and the next moment, his eyes landed on his father's face. He didn't say anything to him. Instead, he turned to Astoria once more and steadied her. "Wait for a moment, okay? I'll be back, you'll be okay." He whispered in her ear.

Astoria nodded weakly and let her other arms fall from Draco's shoulder, where it was wrapped only a moment ago.

Without another word, Draco stood up from his spot on the floor and sauntered to his father. He looked at him in the eye and pointed his wand at his father's. "Priori Incantatem."

Lucius watched speechlessly as the incantation took effect. From the end of his wand, a silver mist erupted and engulfed them. Right there, among the mist, Astoria's tortured face could be seen and her screams echoed loudly through the room.

Draco didn't need to watch long to know that it was his father who did everything. He lowered his wand slowly and the mist vanished. He looked at his father with his face crunched in hurt. It was too much for him to take in. He had the love of his life tortured by his father. "Father, how could you do this? This is the life I don't want to live anymore. I'm tired of this." Draco finally said, his face flashing with sadness.

It took Lucius longer than a second to realize what Draco meant with his words. As fast as a flash, he turned to Astoria and Harry. "This is all you fault! You ruined everything!" He shouted angrily at them. Just then, he raised his wand and pointed it at Astoria and Harry. "Avada…" He started to say.

Draco thought of only one thing to do as he heard what his father started to say and realized what he was about to do. As soon as green light shot out of his father's wand, Draco flung his body and blocked the curse from hitting not only Astoria but Harry as well. His last word was "Nooooo!"

* * *

Draco opened his eyes and saw nothing. It was dark. The darkness made him doubt if he had really opened his eyes. Was he already in hell, he didn't know. He leaned against his elbows and tried to sit up. But in the process of lifting himself, he felt his stomach tighten in pain. He touched his abdomen and poked it lightly. He winced as he felt a sting where he had poked himself.

Just then, faint light started falling down on him from above. He squinted at the source of the light, thinking of where it had come from. As he stared at the light, he realized that it was a bit familiar; darkness engulfing him and then faint light streaming down on him from above. That was when everything started to hit him. Every memory of what happened since that morning when he woke up attacked his mind. He had been at Diagon Alley with Hermione, he had a brawl with a mysterious man with blue eyes, he went to the Weasley home and apologized to them, some of them had forgiven him along with giving him a warning, Fred and George had shoved him inside their shed, he saw Dumbledore, He showed him the night at the Astronomy Tower and they had watched his past memories to observe how much he had changed. Draco stopped recalling after that. _What happened after that?_ Draco asked himself.

He shut his eyes and thought hard about what happened next. Then, as he closed his eyes, pictures of Greyback, Yaxley, his father, Potter and Astoria's faces flew to his mind. Because of that, he remembered everything. "Was it only a dream?" Draco asked himself.

"Yes, it was." Dumbledore answered. He revealed himself from the shadows and sauntered towards Draco. Once he was in front of him, he lowered himself in a cross-sitting position. "It was only a dream."

"But why did I dream, professor? What happened?" Draco asked in confusion.

Dumbledore surveyed the young man and smiled. His eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles. "What was the last thing that you remember me telling you before you fell asleep?"  
Draco thought for a moment. What was the last thing Dumbledore told him before he fell asleep? "You told me…to prove it." He said with certainty.

The old man nodded and smiled sweetly at the blond young man. "And I believe that you have proven it in you dream."

"How exactly did I prove it, Professor?"

"Well, for starters, when you fell asleep, I wiped your memory clean. I wanted you to forget that you were trying to prove something. Because if you remembered it, then you would only act pleasantly because you are expected to." Dumbledore stated. "By wiping your memory, you forgot that I asked you to prove it. Because of that, you acted of your own accord and acted according to what you think is right. You have just saved two people, my child: the love of your life and you childhood enemy."

"But Professor, How did you know that I'll dream about something that'll help me prove my willingness to change?"

"Simply because of this." Dumbledore said. He placed his hand inside his robes and plucked out a bottle with golden powder inside. "This is a dream controlling potion."  
"A what?" was Draco's reaction.

A smile played at Dumbledore's lips before he answered Draco. "This is Fred and George's latest product in their shop. With the use of this, you can choose a dream that you like. If you want to dream about something or someone, all you have to do is think about it and then sprinkle a pinch of this in your body." Dumbledore shook the small bottle where less than half of the bottle was still filled with golden powder. "When you sleep, you will start dreaming about what you thought of before you sprinkled this at yourself. Another wonder of this substance is that in your dream, you can control what you do and you can feel everything that you felt in your dream even after you wake up."

Draco nodded apprehensively. He touched his arms and shoulder and winced in pain. "So that's why my muscles hurt?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"But Professor, I didn't think of what I dreamt about before you sprinkled that on me. How come I dreamt of it?"

"Because this bottle was charmed. Fred and George specifically altered the particles and properties of this powder so that it'll show you that dream once this was sprinkled on you. It was especially altered for you." Explained Dumbledore.

"So it was really all a dream? And this is all Fred and George's idea?" Draco asked his former Headmaster.

"Yes and No." Dumbledore vaguely answered. "Yes, it was all a dream and no it wasn't Fred and George's idea. They were merely just helpers of the real originators of the plan."

"What do you mean, Professor Dumbledore? Who are they?"

"Mr. and Ms. Weasley."

"Ginny and…?"

"Ronald Weasley."

"Are you sure? How did you know?"

"Because they created me before they had devised the whole plan. I was present when they talked about it. Mr. and Ms. Weasley were the ones instructing Fred and George how to complete the plan.

Draco smiled. "So I really owe them a lot, huh?" Draco said. "I should thank them. I realized many things because of this."

"I believe you did, Mr. Malfoy. Now, you better get out there. They might be worrying. You were in here for more than three hours already. I'm sure they're baffled as to what could've been done in here for three hours."

Draco gave a slight laugh and then stood up. He had difficulty standing up for his legs and thighs were hurting badly but he still managed. As he stood up, he watched as bright light completely flooded the shed. "Thank you for everything, Professor." Draco gratefully said then he walked, partly staggering, towards the door.

Before he opened the door, he heard Dumbledore call him. He turned around and looked at the former Headmaster.

"Just always remember, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore started. "You now have the chance to change. You have started changing. You should go for it. Don't think negatively of yourself. Because right now, there is only one person who could stop you from being a better person."

"Who?"

"Yourself. Don't imprison yourself in the past anymore, Mr. Malfoy. Look forward to the future. Trust yourself and believe in your own capabilities. Set yourself free." With that final statement of encouragement, Dumbledore vanished once more. Draco didn't know how or when he realized it but he learned that during their time together, he had known that Dumbledore was just a figment of someone's (probably Fred and George) creation and imagination that was charmed to act like the real Dumbledore. Just like his portrait at Hogwarts and like the twin statues outside the Weasley shop.

With a nod to himself and a deep breath, Draco opened the door of the shed. He stepped carefully and slowly out the door only to trip on a stone and stagger forwards after a few steps. He closed his eyes and expected his body to fall face forward on the ground but the next thing he felt wasn't the ground. He felt huge hands push his chest to prevent him from falling down. Then, slim arms wrapped around his waist and he felt his arm being hoisted against two people's shoulders. He opened his eyes and looked to his left and right. He saw Ginny and Ron by his side, helping him walk. "Ginny, Ron?"

"Don't talk." Ginny said as she and Ron brought Draco inside the house.

Hermione stared speechlessly as Ron and Ginny walked past her and Nathan. They were practically lifting Draco towards the house. The whole family was speechless as well. They were left standing near the door of the shed. It was only when Fred and George walked back to the House when they all thought of following.

"So, you did well, I suppose," said Fred when they were already inside and Draco was already resting at the couch.

"You feel the soreness of what happened?" George interrogated.

"Yeah." Draco said weakly.

"Then, you really did well." Fred confirmed.

"How can you say?" Draco asked. He was sure that only he, Fred, George, Ginny and Ron knew what was being talked about at the moment.

"Simple," answered Fred.

"Normally, anyone who uses the product will feel everything that he or she felt in the dream even after he or she wakes up. But we altered the properties of the product so that you will feel the pain you should've felt only if you behaved pleasantly." George finished.

"So basically, I get to keep the pains and soreness because I acted well?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course, isn't it awesome?" Fred exclaimed.

"There, we have now proven that you are really willing to change. Honestly, until now I still don't see why we had to go through all that effort just so you could prove it. If you were planning to not do your promise of not harming us again, we can always harm you first. You heard my brothers. They'll kill you before you can harm even our garden gnome." Ginny said. "But now that that's over with, you have my forgiveness. But remember, I'm even scarier with vile stuff than my brothers. You've seen and experienced it. Keep it in mind."

Draco suddenly got a flashback of Ginny's successful Bat Bogey Hex before and winced at the sudden memory. "Yeah, I'll remember that."

"Errrrm," Ron awkwardly started. Every Weasley eye turned to him. Everybody knew that if there was someone who was experiencing extreme difficulty in forgiving Malfoy, it would be Ron. "I don't have to say too many words. All I have to say is…If you screw us again, you're dead, Malfoy!"

Draco gulped. In his mind, he mentally counted how many threats he had received that day, not to mention how many curses and emotional blows he took while he was inside the shed. After that, he fairly decided that that day was the most painful day of his life; painful but rewarding at the same time.

Fred and George snorted simultaneously. Fred was the first one who spoke to Draco. "Well then, I guess it's our turn." George nodded at him so he continued. "As you may have noticed, we didn't just agree like everybody else on forgiving you; not only us but Ginny and Ron as well. The reason behind that is because out of all the members of the family, the four of use were the ones who spent the longest time with you at school, especially Ron and Ginny."

George continued what his brother was saying. "Out of everyone we were the people who suffered the most insults from you. Well, you didn't mess too much with Fred and me. I guess because you were afraid of what we would do to you as revenge. But we saw how you treated Ron and Ginny. We didn't like it. "

"These two are our youngest siblings." Fred took over. "We have many older siblings who take care of us. But Ron and Ginny are younger than us. As the closest to them with regards in age, we don't like seeing them be insulted by people. Yes, we play tricks on them but we won't allow anybody insult them and hurt them in any way. We are still their older brothers."

Ginny and Ron were both looking at Fred and George with fondness in their eyes. That was the first time Fred and George had talked that way. Not to mention that they had just said how much they cared for the two of them.

The whole family was looking at Fred and George with smiles playing on their lips. Arthur was beaming, apparently proud of his two sons. Molly was teary eyed but her smile was from ear to ear.

"We care for them and we held a grudge on you for everything you did to them while we were at school. That's why it's difficult for us." George started again. "But among us four," George referred to him, Fred, Ron and Ginny, "Ron and Ginny suffered the most and if they have already given you forgiveness…"

"I guess it's safe to give you ours." Fred said.

"But just like what everybody else said, you shouldn't blow this up. Because once you screw us again, you'll suffer." George continued. "You'll suffer in so many ways."

"If you get what we're saying." Fred finished.

Draco nodded instantly. "Don't worry. I fear my life."

Fred and George gave him a nod and then Fred spoke once more. "Wow, enough being serious, Forge!"

"I agree, Gred. We're not Padfoot. This is so not us." George shuddered as Fred gagged.

"But wait, wait! You still haven't told us what happened inside the shed!" Percy whined.

It was George who answered him. "You don't have to know what exactly happened inside. All you need to know is that he had proven everything with the help of this." George held out his hand, where the small bottle of the Dream Controller was handled. Unknown to the others, once Draco was out of the shed, Fred and George slid inside and cleaned all traces of the events that took place there. They also retrieved the excess product because it was dangerous to anyone because of the pre-created dream that'd be given by the substance.

"And what is that supposed to be?" Percy continued to interrogate.

"This is another latest product of ours. It's part of the Dream Set, which also includes the Prophetic Dream Potion, that Hermione used before and is now being sold at the shop, and the Pensieve Potion." Fred answered.

Then George continued. "The Prophetic Potion makes you dream things and hints about your future. It doesn't really show you the future but it gives you hints about the most important things that'll happen in your future. While the Pensieve Potion is the opposite of it. Before you drink it, you have to think about the memory that you want to relive and then you'll dream about it. It's kinda like looking through a Pensieve. The only difference is that in the Pensieve, you are a bystander watching the memory again. While with our potion, you relive it again, meaning that you experience it again in your own body."

"Wow, that's brilliant, Fred, George!" Charlie excitedly exclaimed. "But what does that one do?"

"This," Fred started again, "is the Dream Controller Potion. It makes you dream what you want and you're able to control it. All you have to do is think about what or who you want to dream about, and then sprinkle this in your body and then when you sleep, you'll dream about it."

George continued. "Just like what we have said earlier, you can feel all the sensations that you have felt in the dream even after you wake up."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous because of the pain?" Bill asked, his arms stretching out towards Draco to refer to the pains he was feeling.

"Not really because his potion was altered by us and the dream was pre-created. So technically, this bottle of the product will show only one dream, the one he dreamt of. The other versions of the products are safe. Think about it, would you want to dream of something that'll harm you? You chose what you dream, remember?" Fred explained logically.

Bill nodded understandably.

That was when Charlie intervened. "Hey, it's a six quarter. Aren't you guys supposed to fetch your girlfriends?" He asked, gesturing to Ron, Fred and George.

"Golly, you're right!" Fred exclaimed. He stood up from the armchair he was sitting at and waved as he went out the door. "We'll be going now. We'll just fetch Angelina and Katie."

George followed his twin and turned to Ron to ask him if he wasn't going to fetch Luna yet. "Ron, aren't you—" but he was cut off by the bright changing of the orange fire in the fireplace to green.

"Oh, sorry." Luna apologized as she stumbled out of the fireplace. The fire turned to orange again after she went out. She sat down on the arm of the armchair, where Ron was sitting opposite Fred's former seat.

"Well, Luna's here. You can go, guys." Ron told his brothers as he wound an arm around Luna's waist.

"Whatever." George said. He waved his hand and went out the door with Fred.

When Fred and Gorge left, Molly called out to the rest of the family. "So now that that's dealt with, let's prepare dinner." Everybody started to stand up and walk to the door.

Ginny stood up and turned to Hermione. "You stay there and take care of Nathan. We'll just help them outside." Hermione nodded as an answer.

Luna removed Ron's hand around her waist and started standing up, pulling Ron with her. Ron groaned but nevertheless, stood up.

"Wait," Draco raised his hand to get their attention. "Can we talk for a minute? It won't take long, I promise." He asked Ginny and Ron.

Ginny looked at Draco for a moment then she turned to Luna. "Please tell mum that we'll be there in a minute."

"Sure." Luna looked at Draco with her head cocked to the side in confusion. She didn't know anything about what had happened that whole day. She smiled at Ginny and let go of Ron's hand before prancing out the door. Ron flopped back down at his seat while Ginny sat down at the other side of Hermione, who was sitting beside Draco.

"Errrm, guys, you don't mind me telling her bout everything right?" Ron asked Hermione and Draco. "Not everything but the essentials."

Draco nodded.

"Of course, I trust Luna. Remind me to tell Fred and George later that they could tell Katie and Angelina about it too. They're family now, after all." Hermione answered with a smile. "Now, why do you want to talk to these two?" she asked, turning to Draco next.

"Well, I just wanted to thank you two." Draco spoke, his head swerving from Ginny to Ron. "About forgiving me and, more over, about helping me. Thank you. You don't know how much you've helped me."

"Wait, what am I missing here?" Hermione asked as Nathan played silently with her hair.

Draco's head turned to Hermione next. "It was all their idea, Hermione, not Fred and George's. Everything was theirs."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up as she turned to Ginny questioningly. "You two?" _So that's why they were the one's who helped him when he went out_. Hermione thought to herself.

"Well, technically, us two. But the major planner of this is Ron, not me." Ginny answered as she wrapped her arms across her chest.

"Oh. But why would you do that, Ron?" Hermione asked Ron, her eyebrow still cocked upward.

"Well, I looked up 'redemption' in the dictionary and," Ron started. Hermione grinned at him. "I just thought about what you said and decided to let him prove it. That's it. Don't ask me any more questions, please?"

"Thanks, Ron." Hermione beamed at him as Ron blushed. She then turned to Ginny. "So everything is you plan all along? I thought it was Fred and George."

"Nope. It's us." Ginny answered. "Everything's planned; even the thing at Diagon Alley earlier." Ginny slipped out. She cupped her hand over her mouth as she realized with wide eyes what she had said.

Ron's head snapped to Ginny. He gave her a death glare.

Hermione turned to Ron. "What thing?"

A smirk showed in Draco's face as he realized what Ginny meant. "It was you, wasn't it?" He asked Ron.

Ron looked down at his feet, but nonetheless, nodded.

"He's what?" Hermione asked again. She was started to get irritated. It was as if the three knew something she didn't and she hated not knowing things.

Draco laughed at Hermione's irritation before answering. "The guy at Diagon Alley. The guy I had a 'shouting fest' with. That's Ron."

Hermione's eyes widened as her head automatically turned to Ron, who scowled at Ginny. "That was you?"

"Well, we just wanted to make sure that he had the potential to change before we get on with our plan with the shed. Because if he's not, everything will just be a waste." Ron defended himself.

"So everything was planned by you? You're full of ideas today, Ron." Hermione smirked. "Do Fred and George know that it was you?"

"No." Ron answered.

"Well, you better not let them or they'll kill you. You shouldn't mention this to the family as well. You'll be in trouble. You caused quite a racket back there." Hermione advised Ron.

Ron nodded grimly. "You're right."

"Well, we'll be going out now. Draco, you stay here and rest." Ginny said. "Hermione, stay here with Nathan. We'll just help them outside."

Once everybody was out, Hermione turned to Draco. "I told you, it would go well."

"I know. Thanks, 'Mione. You're the best." Draco thanked her.

"You're welcome." Hermione grinned at him.

"Nrrgrgrgrgr." Nathan made a sound as he crumpled the front of his shirt, which was blue and covered with pictures of small broomsticks and snitches, in his hands. He rubbed the fabric as he continued to look at it intently, his lips were pouting in concentration. "Nrrrrgrgrgrgrgr."

"What are you doing, sweetie?" Hermione gently asked her son. She nudged his face with her nose.

Nathan stopped abruptly and looked up when he felt his mum nudge him. He looked at his mum with a confused face. Then his face suddenly split into a wide, toothless grin. He lifted his hands and placed it in his mum's cheeks; he lightly clapped them with enjoyment.

"Draco," Hermione started but Draco was staring at Nathan with a smile on his lips. He was oblivious to the fact that she was calling him. "Draco!" She said a bit louder than the first time.

Draco's head suddenly snapped up to Hermione. "Huh?"

"We'll just go up and I'll change Nathan into his pajamas. Will you be okay here?"

"Of course. Besides, I'll be going out too. I'll help them out." Draco said, standing up, a bit faster than how he moved a few minutes ago.

"What? Ginny said you should rest." Hermione argued.

Draco snorted. "I'm fine, Hermione! I didn't really get hurt too much. I think Fred and George altered the substance more than we expected. I didn't exactly feel all the pains. My muscles just feel a bit sore where the spells hit me in the dream. That's why I can't move much earlier. It's just like being sore after a work out. That's all. I'm fine. Go up and attend to this tot's needs." He finished with a smile.

Hermione shrugged and nodded. "Okay. If you're sure." Hermione shrugged and started going up to Ginny's room, which had acted as her room as well while she stayed there. She was sure Ginny wouldn't mind. She flicked her wand as she was going up and all their shopping bags followed them upstairs.

Once Hermione was gone, Draco went out the door and saw everyone getting the tables ready. Percy and Charlie were taking care of additional chairs while the others conjured more utensils and more tables. Bill even conjured up a high chair for Nathan. He walked towards them and once he was near the table, he asked. "How can I help you, guys?"

Arthur looked at him like he was crazy. "Aren't you supposed to be resting?"

"Well, errrm." Draco awkwardly said. "The pain's really not that bad and I was alone inside. Hermione went up with Nathan to—"

Molly cut him off. "No, no, no! You should rest. Just go sit there." Molly said sternly as she pointed at the bench near the door that Draco passed on the way to the table.

Draco's shoulder drooped. He wanted to help. He didn't want them to think that he was acting like a prince. He opened his mouth to say something but when he saw Molly put her hands on her hips, he didn't dare contradict her anymore. Instead, he said "Sure. Okay." Then he went to the bench.

"The hands-on-the-hips thing really always does the trick, huh?" Charlie said to Ron, who laughed.

Draco sat down on the bench and just stared at the whole family. From his spot, he could hear what they were saying. Just then, Fred and George, with Angelina and Katie beside them. He saw Fred and George help Percy cast an invisible roof above their tables to avoid miasma from affecting them, especially Nathan. He watched as Fred and George played a prank on Percy, which earned fitsof laughter from the whole family.

Draco laughed loud as well when he saw Percy's hair change colors from red to bronze and he began to sparkle. A sign above his head was flashing "Beware: Vampire" and an arrow pointing at him. He remembered the ridiculous book written by Lockhart that he had told all his students to read. 'Vacation with a Vampire'.

"Why are you laughing?" A voice sounded from the door. Draco turned to see Ginny standing a few feet away from where he was sitting. The pots and dishes of food were floating behind her. He didn't even realize that she had gone back at the house while he talked to everyone who was arranging the tables.

"Look at that and tell me it ain't funny." Draco gestured towards Percy.

Ginny laughed when she saw her brother, remembering the book that Lockhart had written, or pretended to have written. "It is funny."

"Told yah." Draco said, his grin still apparent as both he and Ginny watched her family have a good time. "You have an awesome family."

"That, coming from you…I still can't believe it, honestly. I can't even believe that I'm having a civil conversation with you." Ginny said, her eyes not leaving her family.

Draco chuckled. "You know what?"

"Hmmm?"

"Believe it or not, I never really hated your family."

Ginny turned her head immediately to Draco. "What do you mean?"

"I was never hateful of your family. I was just…jealous, I suppose you could say." Draco answered.

"Why? You have a family. You're rich, your parents were well-known. You have everything." Ginny asked curiously.

"I had everything, except the attention of my parents." Draco murmured. He continued to stare at the Weasleys, who were now laughing at a story that Angelina and Katie shared as they arranged the food in the table. Percy's appearance was back to normal. "Look at your family. Even though you aren't famous and rich and things, you love each other and you make sure that you always make time just to bond. I envy you for a having a loving family. When I was a kid, I always dreamed of having someone who will love me, something I didn't fully experience from my family."

"I can see what you mean. But don't feel bad. You can still you can still fulfill that dream." Ginny gently told Draco.

Draco turned to Ginny. He cocked his head to the side in an inquiring manner. "How?"

"Once you have started a new and better life, you can start finding that someone who will love you. Everybody deserves to be loved, even you. You just gotta let people love you; let them get closer to you." Ginny advised, her head turning to Draco. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Molly's voiced made their heads snap up.

"Draco, Ginny, dear. Dinner's ready." Molly called them.

"Coming, mum!" Ginny shouted back and started walking towards the fully-prepared, long table. "Come on!" She invited Draco.

Draco smiled at her and stood up. He followed her to the table where everyone was already sitting down.

"Wow, that's a lot!" Hermione said as she walked from the door to the table with Nathan tucked in between her hands.

"Wow, a mini heartthrob." Ginny said as she tickled Nathan, who giggled. She raised her eyebrows at Hermione when she saw what Nathan was wearing.

"What? I didn't choose that. Draco did." Hermione defended. Nathan was wearing long, emerald green pajamas, the exact shade of his eyes. The fabric was decorated with several small lighting bolts.

"Perfect for him, right?" Draco asked as he sat down at the seat in between Hermione and Ginny, his designated seat according to Molly.

Ginny chuckled as the whole family, those who already knew, laughed.

Hermione settled Nathan down on the high chair on her other side and took her own seat.

"Tuck in!" Fred and George, who were sitting on Percy's either side with their girlfriends beside them, energetically said at the same time.

With that, everyone dug in hungrily.

When everyone was nearly finished with their desserts, Hermione stood up and caught everybody's attention. "Guys, can I have your attention for a moment? I just have an announcement."  
They all lowered their forks and knives and turned their attention to Hermione. "Draco, Ron, I want to ask you something."

"Sure." Draco answered.

"Hmmmm?" Ron asked through a mouthful of tart.

"Would you guys like to be Nathan's godfathers?" Hermione asked.

Ron choked on his food when he heard Hermione's request. Luna, who was sitting beside him, rubbed his back. He took his glass and downed the juice. "Of course!"

"Two godfathers, kiddo. Cool!" Draco said. He stretched his arm and ruffled Nathan's hair. "Of course I do, Hermione. Thanks."

Hermione smiled at them both and thanked them "Thanks, guys." She had already sat back down on her seat when Arthur spoke.

"To Nathan….errrr…" Arthur looked at Hermione uncertainly.

"Aiden Nathaniel Granger." Hermione told Arthur.

"To Aiden Nathaniel Granger!" Arthur raised his glass of pumpkin juice in the air. Everyone followed suit. Ron's glass was re-filled by Luna.

"To Aiden Nathaniel Granger!" Everyone chorused, even those who still have no idea who Nathan was to Hermione. They downed their juices ad laughed at themselves.

Nathan, hearing everyone laugh, giggled in delight. His body shook and his hair flailed wildly as he giggled. This made everyone laugh even more.

As everyone laughed, Fred and George took the distraction to slip something in Percy's food. Draco was the only one who saw. When Fred and George saw that Draco was looking at them, they simultaneously put their index fingers in front of their lips, indicating him to not talk. Draco laughed again loudly.

Everyone continued to laugh as they watched Percy sprout a round, red clown's nose. His hair curled and turned redder. His face turned white and his lips turned bright red.

Draco watched and laughed with the Weasleys. He didn't continue eating anymore. He just continued surveying the Weasleys with fondness and happiness in his eyes. More than once, he caught Ginny looking at him with a smile plastered on her lips, evidently knowing what was going through Draco's mind during that time. _Finally, after a long time, Draco Malfoy had found a new family… He had found acceptance, care and, hopefully, love where he didn't expect to. He found it among the Weasleys…_

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What's next on First and Last?

Cho confronts Cedric about her feelings. How will it go? Tune in next time to find out!

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REVIEW PLEASE!


	34. We've Only Just Begun

Disclaimer: JK Rowling and Warner Bros. will have my head if I said I owned Harry Potter. I don't own it. I just love to play with it.

AN: Sorry if I wasn't able to update for more than a couple of months. I just had a lot of school work. But now it's vacation so I think I'll continue this story, although I'm scared because apparently, some of you didn't like the last chapter. I'm scared that you might not want to continue reading this story. Along with my long hiatus, I am afraid I might have pushed you away with the last chapter. Please, don't let it be that.

I just want to clear something up because I have read similar feedbacks in your reviews. Most of you have commented that the story progression is quite slow and that Harry takes too long to find out about everything. I think I owe you an explanation. Here it is…

You see, this is not just like a simple story where the protagonist goes away and then comes back. It's not as simple as that. In other fics where Harry leaves, the essential events happen before he left and after he comes back. Therefore, the time he spends apart from the other characters are just mentioned in the story as he left and then after a few years, he comes back and then the true essence of the story happens just then. In this fic, it's different because here, all the essential events happened while he was away. So I need each and every one of you to please be patient because all these other chapters are no longer fillers. They are essential. It won't make sense right now because even the characters aren't supposed to know anything. As well as the characters, you will be kept in the dark for now. I just hope you guys will be patient enough to wait for the right moment when things shall be right again.

Another thing is that many of you said that I'm swerving away from the main characters, which are Harry and Hermione, and focusing too much attention to Draco Malfoy and the other characters, namely Cho and Cedric. Well, to be truthful, this fic isn't just about Harry and Hermione. This fic revolves around the five characters: Harry, Hermione, Cedric, Cho and Draco. This story shows how their fates and own stories link to each other and how each and every tale is connected to the other in the end. Trust me, they are all connected in more ways than you thought.

I think I've been blabbing too much. And I think blabbing like this might just drive you farther away. Just please bear with me. I promise things will make sense later on. Thank you and read on. Please don't forget to review but please no flames and please be nice. I accept constructive criticism and I appreciate it. It helps a lot just please take it easy on me. Tell me what you think and tell me what you expect and the things you think I have to change. I'll listen. Thanks!

Chapter 34

The scratching of quill against brand new parchment echoed through the walls of Harry's flat. He was scribbling desperately on a half foot-long parchment while seated at the chair of his study table in front of the windows looking out to the starlit sky. He was writing his letter to Fred and George Weasley. It had been several weeks since he last sent a letter to the other Weasleys at the Burrow – to Ron and to Ginny. But unfortunately, due to what he presumed as an unlucky circumstance, the letter hadn't been replied to yet. (Ginny still hasn't been officially introduced as one of the new chasers of the Harpies. Harry still didn't know about it.) He was beginning to think that they weren't receiving his letters. Or worse, they were ignoring him. He didn't know which reason he would like to hope for. If they weren't receiving his letters, he presumed there was trouble. That would be horrible. And if they were really ignoring him, it wasn't any better than not having them receive his letters at all. But still, he wished desperately that they were safe. Deep down, he wished that they couldn't reply because they were just too busy.

Harry ended his letter with his signature and enclosed it inside an envelope with the names Fred and George Weasley written at the back. He wrote to the twins because he figured that if he couldn't get in touch with anybody at the Burrow, he might get some news from the twins, considering that they were already living separately from the family. They were already staying at the apartment at the top of their shop. That much was known to him because of all the news articles pertaining to the success of the twins' business. Business was really booming for them and Harry was glad to recall that he had helped them start their life-long dream.

After sealing the envelope close with wax, Harry pulled a drawer open and retrieved, from inside, another letter. The other letter was for Hermione. He had written it a few months back – or maybe several months back already, he didn't really know. But until now, he hadn't sent it yet. Every time he thought of sending it, the memory of his last letter kept coming back to him. He had sent her a letter telling her about his feelings for her along with the statement that if she didn't feel the same way, she shouldn't answer the letter. The letter was unanswered. That was why Harry was confused as to what might that imply about their relationship and what the changes of his confession might have brought. Along with that, Harry was still confused, curious and bothered about what Hermione now felt about their shared night of passion before he left. All those things left him completely unnerved.

Harry had been brave enough to send her that kind of letter back then. His confusion, hurt and thirst to know information about their current stand had pushed him to write her a letter. But it was only now that he realized he regretted that he sent her that parchment. If he hadn't, then they could just come back to what they were before: being friends. He could apologize about what happened to them that night before he went to France and if she really loved Krum and regretted the night they shared, she wouldn't think twice. She'd forget all about it in order to save her relationship with Krum.

After tucking the letters in his hand and hiding it behind his back, Harry went to the bird cage at the corner of his room and tapped it gently with his finger. Inside the cage was a handsome brown owl with big eyes that stared curiously at Harry.

"Fledge, come here, boy. I've got a favor to ask you." Harry told the owl as he unlatched the lock of the cage door with his free hand.

The brown owl hooted at him and flew out of the cage. Once Fledge was perched at his free hand, the owl inclined his head to the left expectantly as he waited for Harry to give him instructions.

Fledge was Harry's new personal owl, a gift from his Quidditch teammates. They said that the owl was a thank you gift to Harry for their victory against the Ballycastle Bats. It was the very first match that the Falcons won after a very long time. Fledge had been with Harry for the past couple of months and since then, he had taken time to write to the Weasleys and even to Hermione, the latter was still unsent. But until now, his letters were unanswered.

"I've got a letter for you to send, Fledge." Harry said to the owl as he revealed the letters concealed in his hand behind his back.

Fledge, in return, flapped his wings hysterically and looked at Harry with scared eyes.

Harry sighed. "Come on, boy. Take it. They're just letters. Please?" Harry asked the owl. Fledge had been acting strange since he first asked the owl to send a letter. He didn't know what was wrong with him but when he first came back after Harry sent his first letter to Ron, the owl was shaking incredibly and refused to come out of the cage for days. It was as if the owl was afraid to go out again.

Harry's second mail wasn't any different. After managing to coax the owl out of the cage after several days of convincing and bribing him with treats, the owl finally agreed to fly out and send Harry's letter to Ginny. When Fledge came back, he was even more scared than the first time. Since then, the owl never went out again.

"Fledge, what's wrong? Why are you scared? They're just papers." Harry said again. He pushed the letter between the owl's beaks but before he was able to, the owl hid his head inside his wings. "Ugh, you're unbearable!" Harry exclaimed before he plopped back down to his chair in front of the table; the owl, still perched in his arm.

Harry stared the owl's body – the head was still concealed. "We're hopeless, Fledge. I don't know what in Merlin's beard your problem is. You can't talk to me. Of course you can't. I'd be running out of the room if you did. But how the bloody hell would I know the problem?" Harry sighed again. "If you were Hedwig, you would've been flapping your arms rapidly with excitement at the thought of flying out. I wish you're as excitable as her."

Harry went to stand up and walk back to the cage. He held the cage door open and pushed the owl inside. "Go inside, boy. I won't force you now. I don't really have any choice. But you'll be sending these letters tomorrow. No arguments, understand?"

The poor owl took his head from behind his wing and looked at Harry with pleading eyes.

"Don't give me that look, Fledge. It ain't gonna work. I've delayed my letters enough." With that, Harry closed the door of the cage and dropped the letters at the top of his table for sending the next day. He went to the couch and flopped down once again. He put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. "Now, what to do, what to do?"

Suddenly, Harry opened his eyes and stood up. "I guess I'll just trim and clean my Firebolt, then." He still didn't want to sleep. He had to have something to busy himself with until he felt drowsy enough to go to sleep without difficulty.

Harry went to his room, retrieved his broom, its bag and his servicing kit. After that, he went back to the living room. He laid all his stuff at the table and started trimming the twigs of his broomstick.

After a few minutes of silent labor, Harry finally finished trimming the broken twigs of his broomstick. "Now, to polish it." He said to himself as he reached over the table and took the polish bottle. He opened it only to see that it was already empty. Apparently, he had forgotten to buy a new one before their team's month-long break started a couple of weeks ago.

"Hmmm." Harry mumbled. He looked at his watch. It was already half past ten in the evening. He doubted there would be shops open at this hour. He thought to himself. "So, where can I get some polish?" Then a thought struck him.

Harry went to the fireplace, took a pinch of floo powder and threw it at the grate, shouting Cho's address. He would just have to borrow some polish from her. He was sure she wouldn't mind. He enclosed his face among the emerald flames. It lapped against the skin of his face in a relaxing manner. The blaze was warm against his cheeks. He was about to call out to her when he saw her with another person, doing something Harry shouldn't have seen…

Dinner at the castle had just ended and Cedric Diggory was already preparing for bed, wearing his night clothes, when an owl rapped its beak on the outside of his chambers' window.

Cedric dropped his pillow, which he was currently punching in a more comfortable shape, and went to the window to let the owl in. The owl dropped the letter on his hand and flew out the window once again without even asking for a treat. The owl didn't even appear hungry. He figured the owl hadn't traveled much and the sender of the letter was just nearby. Apparently, he was right because the sender of the letter was none other than the Headmistress herself.

_Professor Diggory,_

_ My apologies for intruding at this late hour but there is a serious matter we need to discuss, Professor. I would appreciate it very much if you could come to my office as soon as you receive this note._

_ Again, my sincere apologies, Professor._

_Professor McGonagall_

Cedric sighed. He thought he would able to retire early that night. He was so exhausted. But apparently, he wouldn't. It was the Headmistress asking his presence, after all. He shouldn't complain. So after releasing another great sigh, he went to his wardrobe, retrieved decent clothes and immediately got dressed. As soon as he was appropriate-looking, he stormed out of his chambers and journeyed towards Professor McGonagall's office.

Cedric's knuckles came knocking gently on the wooden door of Professor McGonagall's office. He heard a faint "Please come in" after the third knock.

"Good evening, Headmistress. You wanted to see me?" Cedric greeted as he closed the door behind him.

Professor McGonagall was seated behind her table, still wearing her robes and cloak she wore at dinner. Her specs were still settled on the bridge of her nose and she was surveying a parchment with the Ministry's seal when Cedric finally reached her. "Please sit down, Professor."

Once Cedric was seated, he asked the Headmistress. "Professor, what do you want to discuss at this late hour?"

Professor McGonagall laid down the parchment she was reading and took her glasses off. She peered at Cedric with a serious face. "Again, I'm deeply sorry for disturbing you tonight, Professor Diggory." At this, her expression turned softer. "But I have something to discuss with you."

"Fire away, Headmistress."

"It's about Miss Chang."

Cedric's eyes widened at the mention of Cho. He abruptly sat up straight and crunched his eyebrows in confusion. Why would the Headmistress talk about Cho with him? "Miss Chang, Headmistress? Cho?"

"You heard right, Professor Diggory," came the Headmistress' answer.

"W-what about her, Ma'am?"

"Well, she had asked for permission if she could come to the castle and talk to you, she flooed me yesterday. I told her she could by next week but I don't think that's needed. I think you should visit her, instead, tonight." The professor casually explained.

"What?" Cedric almost yelled. "Why do I have to be the one to visit her? If there's something she wanted to talk about, we could just talk about it in my office. Just like what we do with everybody else."

Professor McGonagall sat up straighter in her chair and put her hands together. "You used to visit her before, didn't you? Besides, she's not like 'everybody else', am I right?"

Cedric raised his eyebrow. "W-what do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean." Professor McGonagall said with raised eyebrows. "It's been months since you last visited her. Are you avoiding her, Professor Diggory?" Professor McGonagall's eyebrow rose.

Cedric sighed. Suddenly, the formal air around them dissolved. It was replaced by an awkward aura. Uneasy silence wrapped around them. Cedric raked his mind for an answer. He didn't know what he should say. He didn't know if he should say yes and confirm it or just deny it and lie. So he settled for a safe answer. "What I did was for the best, Professor." He said as he brushed his hands over his face and up to his hair, combing it nervously.

"So you are avoiding her. How can it be for the best?"

"I can't explain it, Professor. I just know it." Cedric said, his voice cracking. "It's what's best for the both of us. I'm sure of it." As he finished, he bowed his head and focused his eyes on a stitch on the hem of his muggle-style polo shirt.

"You are not sure of that. I can tell it and you know it." Professor McGonagall said, her face not faltering. The Headmistress looked at Cedric for a long moment and when Professor McGonagall opened her mouth again, she said things that Cedric never imagined the Headmistress saying. "You don't know what else to do so you settled for the easiest, didn't you? You decided to save your own feelings. You decided to be selfish."

Cedric's head snapped back at the Headmistress. At first, he was shocked. But then his anger slowly mounted. He didn't want to be disrespectful, (job aside, Professor McGonagall was still older than him. Not to mention that he had been looking up to her greatly even when he was still just a student. He even thought of her as an elderly relative) but to be accused of being selfish... How could she even say that Cedric had chosen to be selfish? She didn't even know how much he had to give up for that decision. "W-what are you saying, Professor? How can you say that? You don't even know how hard it was for me." Cedric accused.

"Don't be offended, Mr. Diggory." Professor McGonagall said. "I'm only saying the truth."

Cedric stared dumbfounded at the Headmistress. She was acting differently towards him at that moment. Yes, she was stern and strict. But usually, when she was talking to him, she was, more or less, gentle. She always talked to him like he was a grandson of hers or something of that sort. All throughout his years at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall had been like a guardian to him. His father was treated like a son by the former Deputy Headmistress because Cedric's grandfather and the Professor had been childhood friends. She had always looked after him even though he was a Hufflepuff and not a Gryffindor. The whole school had thought he was the favorite of the Professor among all the students she taught in all her years. His other friends even said that if Harry was the pet of the late Headmaster Dumbledore, he was the pet of Professor McGonagall. Hearing her saying those things to him, Cedric was over himself with shock.

"I may not know the whole story, Cedric," the Professor used his first name; back then, that always made him listen to her. "But during the past months that you were visiting her, you were happy. I saw it in your eyes. And based on how troubled her face was and how dead her eyes seemed to me when I saw her through my grate yesterday, I presumed she enjoyed those times as well. Now, I am not asking you to do nothing else but talk to her. Talk everything out." The Professor finished.

Until then, Cedric was still speechless. He still didn't know what to say. He wanted to defend himself, to tell her that he wasn't selfish and that he did it for Cho as well. He wanted to say all that to the Headmistress, but he couldn't find his words. He was angry, he was shocked, he was disappointed and he was a mess. All the pressure of the months that he avoided Cho was falling down on him now. His mind was racing with questions of doubt and his heart was pumping loud. Did he really do the right thing? Or did he just do the easy thing?

Professor McGonagall sighed and made to open her mouth again to speak but even before her voice made it out of his throat, she saw Cedric nodding.

"Okay, Professor. I'll talk to her." Cedric decided. He was still uncertain about the decision but he really couldn't get out of it. Not with the Professor pushing him to do it. He wasn't sure if he would like to talk to Cho but he really had no choice. "Can I use your fireplace? I don't feel like apparating" Cedric asked. His voice was low and tentative.

Professor McGonagall nodded without a word. With her arms outstretched towards the fireplace, she pointed at the pot of floo powder settled at the foot of the grate. She stood up from her seat and followed Cedric towards the fireplace.

Immediately, Cedric ducked and took a pinch of powder between his thumb and index finger. He stepped onto the floor of the fireplace, turned around and faced the Professor, who stood straight in front of the said grate. With one swift motion and a mumble of Cho's address, Cedric was swallowed by a blaze of green.

The Headmistress, now left alone in her office, sat back down onto her seat. She brought her fingers on her nose and caressed the bridge of it. She didn't want to have to depress Cedric just to convince him to talk to Cho, but she didn't have any choice. Unknown to the young man, the witch in question had spilled the details to the Headmistress. Minerva didn't know why Cedric decided to avoid Cho all of a sudden. But she did know that both of them were devastated by the unexplained turn of events. She admitted that it wasn't her business to intervene but she was afraid that if she didn't push Cedric to see Cho and talk everything out, both would someday make a bigger decision that they would regret for the rest of their lives.

Cedric Diggory stumbled out of Cho Chang's grate clumsily. The green blaze turned back to orange as soon as Cedric stepped out of it. As soon as his feet came in contact with the navy blue – almost black – carpet on Cho's floor, he looked around to find the witch in question. His mind was still unsettled, his heart was thudding against his ribs and he just noticed that his fists were tightly closed and shaking. To ease the shaking – and also because of pity for his already bone-white knuckles – Cedric decided to brush the ashes clinging to his shirt.

_I'm here, now what? __Cedric asked himself. What would he do now that he was here? What would he say? What would happen now? There were so many questions swimming in his mind but they were interrupted by a set of approaching footsteps. He looked up automatically._

_ There she was, standing a few feet from him holding a cup of what looked to Cedric like tea. It had been a few months since he last saw Cho and despite their situation, he couldn't control the thrumming of his heart – that turned even louder – at the sight of her. Cho was probably going to bed as well because she was wearing her lilac night gown under a white robe. Her hair was hanging down, freely framing her face. She looked shocked to see him, which was understandable because it was already nearly ten and he came without notice._

Cho's eyes widened when she saw who was standing with his back turned to her grate and brushing his shoulders. She didn't expect Cedric to come. Her heart drummed loudly in her chest, her breath suddenly caught in her throat. She took in the sight of him. From his wind-swept hair, – this was probably due to floo travel – to his soot-covered clothes and to his troubled face. She paused at his face. His eyebrows were joined in the middle, creating creases on his forehead. It indicated only three things. It was either he was confused, he was angry or he was both. She wanted desperately to smooth the creases. It didn't look good on him. His lips were pressed together and twisted in a disturbed way. Everything in his face looked uneasy, nervous, especially his eyes. The hazel orbs that she loved to look into and be drowned in its jolly glow were sad; the glow was dull. It frightened her to see him at that state. He looked really troubled. She wondered if she looked the same. "I-I didn't expect you to come here." Cho mumbled under her breath.

"Neither do I." was Cedric's curt answer.

"What do you mean, neither do you?" Cho asked as she walked towards the couch, which was facing the fireplace. She nervously indicated the spot beside her and urged him to sit down.

Cedric stiffly obliged to her request. He sat at the couch, on the farthest side as far away from her as the couch allowed. There was dense awkwardness lingering in the air around the two of them. "I was forced to come here by the Headmistress."

Cho stiffened once she heard Cedric's explanation. He said it with such coldness that suggested that he really wouldn't come of his own accord. "Oh. Errr. Is that so?"

"Yeah. She told me to come and talk to you." Cedric answered while still not sparing her even a glance. His eyes were fixed at the fireplace and his hands were enclosed together.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you. I flooed her yesterday, asking for permission to come to the castle and-"

Cedric cut her off mid-sentence. "I know. Just get on with it." He was still nervous, that was apparent because his hands were still shaking. He desperately prayed that she didn't notice it. He still didn't know what to say and now, he really didn't know if he wanted to talk to her. At the moment he saw her again, all the hurt and all the temptation of seeing her that he turned down during those months came crashing down on him. At one moment, while he looked at her and she was also surveying him with a frown on her face, he wanted to hug her, to tell her that she shouldn't be sad and it'll be alright. But he knew he'd be lying if he told her that. Everything will never be alright between them again. It will never be like before again because what happened between them before was wrong, very wrong. Right at that moment, he knew the answer to his question. He really did choose the easy way by avoiding her– the easy way for both of them.

Cedric knew that it would be easier for both of them to just avoid each other. Now that she was engaged and about to marry Harry, he was sure that she was just confused before and what she really wanted him to be was the best friend he always was. But he didn't know if he could remain that way. After seeing her stare at him, at his eyes the way she did before, the way she kissed him back when he kissed her and the way she leaned against his chest when he held her, he couldn't forget all those and settle for being just a best friend again, he couldn't…ever again. So if she wanted to talk to him and get her best friend back, she would just fail and she would be hurt as badly as Cedric was hurting right now. Cedric didn't want to put her through that so he made his decision. He should just continue avoiding her and better yet, make her hate him so that she wouldn't hope and be disappointed anymore. He was going to make her hate him. He was already doing it now. He was slowly building up a barrier wall between the two of them.

Cho's eyes reduced to slits when she heard what Cedric said. She didn't like his tone. It irritated her. She took a deep breath to calm herself a bit and said. "I don't know how to start."

Cedric gave a fake exasperated sigh and said, without batting an eyelash, "Well, don't go wasting my time."

"What?" Cho asked, her patience wearing down. Her voice slightly escalated in volume.

"I said, don't waste my time. Say what you want to say now so I can go back to the castle and have the sleep I was robbed with. I have classes to teach tomorrow and we have a lot of topics to discuss. I couldn't afford sleeping and waking up late because of some rubbish. If you have anything to say, say it now. I'm here, get on with it." Cedric finished his babble. He kept his face sour as if he was irritated and desperately wanting to go home and sleep when what he really wanted was to go home and vent his anger, towards the injustice of life, to something else but Cho. With that cold statement to make her hate him, Cedric cemented the last brick on the wall standing between him and Cho.

Cho stared at him, her eyes welling up with tears. That last statement from Cedric hit a spot on her patience. And now, instead of being angry, she had been emotional. _What's his problem? _She thought to herself. What was happening? Why did he suddenly turn to this cruel man? _This couldn't be Cedric._ She desperately convinced herself. Cedric wouldn't say these things to her. He wouldn't ever. Her lips, which were supposed to be moving and answering him, trembled but her throat didn't release even a single sound besides stifled whimpers. Her head slowly bowed to conceal her teary eyes.

A scoff was heard from Cedric's direction and Cho immediately snapped her eyes back to him. "I'll be leaving, then." Cedric said and then after that, without another word, he walked to the fireplace. He already had floo powder enclosed in his fist when suddenly, Cho yelled at him.

"What in the blazes is your problem, Cedric?" Cho yelled. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't just sit there and let him treat her like that. After avoiding her for months, this was what he was going to treat her? As of what she remembered, she didn't do anything wrong. "Why are you being like this?"

"Being what?" Cedric asked, his face still as hard and cold as ice. He still didn't turn around and was still facing the fireplace.

"Why are you treating me like this?" Cho demanded, her voice increasing in volume. Her eyes were red and streaming with tears. She had stood up now and was standing behind Cedric.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Cedric replied.

"Look at me! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Cho shouted at him. She clutched his forearm with her hands and wheeled him around to face her. Once they were face to face, new wave of tears flowed down from her face again. Cedric's face was still emotionless and blank. It was more hurting than having him shout at her. "You bastard! You avoided me for months and then you just suddenly decided to treat me this way when you finally showed up? What're you playing at?" When Cedric still didn't answer, she clutched handfuls of his collar and shook him as hard as her female strength could allow. "Answer me!"

Cedric still didn't give a response and instead waited for her to calm down and cease her hold on him. On the outside, he looked like an emotionless statue but on the inside, little by little, he felt like his wall barrier was gradually shaking. He was afraid that if he continued seeing her cry and hurt, the wall would slowly crumble down. That couldn't happen. He couldn't let her cross the wall he had built between them. He shouldn't let her.

Once Cho's hand had slipped away from his shirt, Cedric said, "Look, Cho. I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not doing anything to you. You are the one holding me up like this and wasting my time." He finished. His voice was slowly losing its stony sound so to hide it, Cedric plastered a fake irritated expression on his face and made his voice sound annoyed, instead. "You're being immature."

As soon as the last word left Cedric's lips, Cho's palm slapped against his left cheek. The sound rang through the stone walls of Cho's flat. "You know what you are? You know what you are when you do this? You're a – selfish – thoughtless – cruel – bastard!" As an added effect of her anger towards him, she punctuated each insult with a blow to his chest. Yes, she was being violent but it was the only way she knew she could vent out her anger. He was being unfair to her and it hurt her so much.

Cedric's cheek stung at Cho's slap. His jaw tightened and he looked down on the top of her head as she banged his chest with her fists. He shook as her knuckles came in contact with his chest. His wall was being beaten by a huge battering ram and any minute now, the bricks might go falling, falling, falling down.

Cedric's lips were tightly pressed together as he endured the pain of her punches. His eyes gazed at her and for a fleeting moment, his eyes showed the torment he was feeling inside; only, Cho didn't see it. Then, suddenly, without thinking about what he was saying, he mumbled under his breath, "It's better this way…" Without his consent, Cedric's wall was slowly falling apart, brick by brick.

The whisper mumbled by Cedric was barely audible but Cho was sure of what she heard. At that moment, she snapped her head towards him and glared at him. "What's better this way? This? Us? You're enjoying this? You're enjoying every-freaking-moment-of-torturing-me, aren't you?" Cho continued hitting him.

Cedric closed his eyes as his breath became ragged while Cho hit him again. With his eyes closed and his jaws tight, he said, "Stop this." When she still didn't stop, he opened his eyes, ceased her wrists in his hands and pulled it away from his chest. He looked intently at her face. "I said stop this!"

"I won't stop hurting you because you won't stop hurting me, either!"

And the wall fell down with horrifying force…

"You think I want this? You think I want to hurt you?" Cedric shouted, his reserve and calm façade suddenly turned into a tormented demeanor. He had failed in his plan. He couldn't hurt her purposely. Not when he lived his life trying to protect her, even resorting to forgetting his own happiness just for her. The wall was now nothing but dust flying away with the cruel wind.

"Don't you?" Cho yelled back with as much intensity.

"I'm not doing this for me, Cho! This is for your own sake!"

"Oh. Is that so?" Cho said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Sarcasm dripped off of her words. "Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Diggory. I didn't realize you were insulting me, oh, hurting me, and mistreating me, for my own sake. My bad, sorry."

"Drat it, Cho. Stop this. Please, just stop this." Cedric begged. He averted his eyes from her and looked at a far corner of the room. He couldn't look at her in the eyes without breaking down, himself.

"Stop what? Now, I'm the one doing something to you? Between us, I wasn't the one hurting the other, Cedric." Cho accused. "It's you." She poked his chest hard with her finger just to make the emphasis on her words. "I might be hurting you physically, but you're doing more than that to me."

"Please, just let me walk away from this, Cho. Let me go now before we – I – make much more… damage." Cedric tried hard to hide the sadness in his voice and face. But in the end, his voice still sounded thick and his face crumpled as if he was being tortured. Even if he continued turning his face away from Cho's sight, the pained expression on every inch of it still showed.

"Tell me one thing." Pleaded Cho, her face slowly losing its angry tone at the sight of Cedric's pained expression. She placed her palm in Cedric's cheek – where she had slapped him earlier – and turned his head to face her. "Why are you trying so hard to avoid me?"

Finally, Cedric stared into her eyes and instead of answering, he asked her a question as well. "Why is it so important that I stop avoiding you? Answer me, Cho. Why are you stopping me?"

Cho froze. She was taken aback. Her hand that was resting at Cedric's cheek slipped to his shoulder as she stared at him, her lips, slightly agape. Why, indeed? Why was it a big deal for her if he started avoiding her now? He had done it before after graduating from Hogwarts. Ever since then, she hadn't heard from him. She didn't even make an effort to try and contact him again. She was so busy with Harry and her relationship with him that she had forgotten about her best friend and through time, she had chased him away from her mind completely. She had lost her best friend before and she didn't even care back then. Why was it different now? Why didn't she want to lose him now?

"Answer me. I did it before, didn't I? I stayed away from you before. You didn't even notice that I was gone even after all that we've been through. Why does it make a difference now? Why does it matter to you now?" Cedric asked again when Cho failed to answer right away.

"I-I don't know." Cho stammered. It was an honest answer. She didn't know or maybe she just didn't know yet. There was an emotion, a feeling inside her that she refused to vocalize to Cedric until now. To say the truth, she thought she was sure when she felt it but was she ready to take the risk and tell him that she loved him now? Taking that aside, there was one thing that she was sure of: She didn't want to lose him again. "Maybe… maybe I just don't want to lose my b-best friend again."

With that, Cedric forcefully shrugged Cho's hand off of his shoulder "I knew you'd say that." He turned towards the fireplace once more after that. Cho hastily wheeled him back again. His face was, once again, as blank as it was when he arrived.

"Where are you going?" Cho asked.

"Going home, where else?" Cedric simply replied.

"Why? What's wrong with what I said?"

"Nothing."

"Then why the hell are you leaving?" Cho bellowed.

"You wanna know? Because I'm tired! I'm tired of this!" Cedric yelled back.

Cho stared back at Cedric with worried eyes. He looked back at her with pained eyes. Cho didn't know what was wrong and clearly, that was hurting Cedric. "What are you tired of? What do you mean? Please, can't we talk about this?"

Cedric faced her fully. He looked down on her; his lips turned down at the corners and were slightly trembling. "Nothing will change even if we talk about this. I'm tired of this, all of this."

"Won't you tell me what you're tired of? You keep telling me you're tired. You're tired, you're tired and you're tired but you wouldn't tell me what of. What are you tired of?"

"I'm tired of loving you and not being loved back!" Cedric shouted at her. That was it. He finally said it. All those years of hiding it from her and now he revealed it by shouting at her. He just couldn't handle it anymore. "I'm tired of just being the best friend, Cho! I'm tired of being left out, being forgotten as though I don't exist!" He frustratingly combed his hair with his hand. "Do you know how painful it was, the fact that you've forgotten me so easily and everything we've been through and done just because of Harry? Do you know how hard it was for me to accept the fact that you love him and you will never love me?"

The silence of the night crept upon them as soon as Cedric finished talking. Cho couldn't speak. It was as though the silence had made her mute. She stared at Cedric but he didn't look at her. Instead, he looked down on the floor, his jaw tight and his cheeks flushed.

"And then after I have started moving on and forgetting you, you decided to show up on my doorstep and bombard my life again." Cedric continued. "You came back into my life just so you can make me fall for you once more and now that I have, you're gonna hurt me all over again. You're gonna leave me just like before." He finished. His voice cracked at the last word.

The orange blaze from the fireplace reflected on Cho's face. The orange light danced on her flushed, tear-streaked cheeks. _Is it true?_ She asked herself. Did Cedric really love her? That was what she heard but weren't her ears just playing tricks on her? "Y-y-you love me?"

"Yes. I loved you before, I still love you now and I don't even know if I can even stop loving you. Happy now?"

"W-why didn't you tell me?" Cho asked, trying to keep her voice from trembling. Her fists were balled up at her sides, her knuckles turning white.

Cedric scoffed. "What's the point, Cho? What's the point of telling you?"

"You loved me before." Cho said, her voice gradually increasing in volume. "Since when?"

"I don't remember when I started loving you. I only know that that time at the Yule Ball, I already did." Cedric answered. "Why does it matter now, anyway?" He gave a bitter laugh. "It doesn't matter now Cho."

"You loved me and you didn't even tell me?" Cho bawled. "Forget the time during your last year. What about months before? What about telling me before you started being a fool and avoiding me?"

"What's the point, Cho?" Cedric asked again, his voice leveling with Cho in terms of volume. "What difference would it make if I told you? What would've changed if I told you?"

"It would have made a huge difference!" Cho argued with him. Both of them were now leaning nearer towards each other on the heat of their arguments. Their faces were merely inches apart.

"A huge difference?" Cedric gave a humourless, bitter laugh. "Why? If I told you then that I love you, would you have told me that you love me too-"

"Yes!"

"W-what?" Taken aback, Cedric instantly leaned away from Cho. His eyebrows crunched together in the middle. "Y-you love me?"

"I-I don't know." Cho looked down on her feet, her hair cascaded from behind her ears and she nervously brushed them away from her face, tucking it back behind her ears. "I thought before that I love you. It came to my mind but I don't know for sure. There's only one thing I'm sure of right now, Cedric. I don't want you to stay away from me again. I don't want to lose you once more." A lone tear from her left eye fell down to the carpet. She looked back up into his face. She searched his face and finally, her gaze fell to his eyes. She looked intently into the brown glow of it. "Please, don't leave me again, Cedric." With that, the rest of her tears fell down from her eyes. But unlike before, it wasn't hysterical crying. It was the kind of soft crying that showed the pain she kept within herself during those months that Cedric had avoided her.

"Shhh." Cedric mumbled, putting his hands on her cheeks and wiping her tears away with his thumbs. Now that he looked back on his conversation with the Headmistress, he thought that this might be what she meant. She had wanted him to talk to her, talk things out. At that right moment, Cedric felt guilty that he had been selfish and avoided Cho without even talking to her. But then a thought struck him. "B-but what about Harry. What about your marriage?"

Cho had already stopped crying as soon as she figured that Cedric's gestures might've meant that he wouldn't leave anymore. She started calming down but at the instant that Cedric reminded her of Harry, she felt an unknown feeling clench her stomach. She didn't know what it meant but it oddly felt like the kind of sensation a person feels when she has a gut feeling that something bad was bound to happen: sooner or later. She pushed the feeling aside and concentrated on Cedric, instead. "Wait, marriage? What marriage?"

"The one they were talking about on the Daily Prophet."

"Don't tell me you believed that." Cho said, her eyebrows turning up. She took Cedric's hand away from her cheek in a gentle way. She let their hands drop on their sides.

"Well, I kinda did. Why, isn't it true?"

"Oh Merlin," Cho exhaled. Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration as if she had had this conversation with everybody else and was getting tired of it. Indeed, she had and she was. "Don't tell me that's the reason you started avoiding me."

"Uhhhh…" Cedric's eyes flashed with guilt.

Cho sauntered from the front of the fireplace and sat down at the couch. She had only felt it now but the shouting session with Cedric while standing up certainly caused her legs to feel all pins and needles. She sat down on the couch with a plop. Cedric guiltily followed her and sat on the spot beside her. She looked irritated.

For a moment, Cedric thought she was irritated with his stupidity. But then she spoke again.

"That Rita Skeeter surely should be put to her place. Ugh! It's all her fault!" Cho said with irritation. She put her face in her palms and sighed. "It's not true, Ced. A teammate of ours had a trouble with proposing and Harry helped him by making a demo. Unfortunately, he asked my help. It's just that and nothing more. Harry and I have nothing more than that now."

"Oh, hell." Cedric cursed. He slapped his forehead with his palm. "I'm an idiot!" He scolded himself mentally for being stupid enough to believe the rumour. How could he be so stupid? He had forgotten all about Rita Skeeter and hastily believed her lies. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Cedric slapped his forehead again with each word.

"That, you are." Cho joined him in the scolding. She removed her hands from her face and looked at Cedric, her hands landed on her hips. "You shouldn't have believed that easily."

Cedric turned his head to her and plastered a guilty smile. "Forgive me, Ms. Chang?" He teased just like how he used to before. "I'm sorry. I was in idiot, Cho. Please forgive me."

"Oh, I don't know…" She teased back, playfully looking down and playing with her fingernails. It was a bit odd that they were now teasing each other when only minutes before, they were shouting their lungs out at each other. But even so, she was glad that they had fixed it and much more.

Cedric's shoulders drooped dramatically but he placed a hand on her chin and tilted it up to make her look at him. He looked her in the eyes. His own eyes were glinting with mischief unlike when he first arrived that night with his gaze blank and unfeeling. Cho sighed with relief at that fact. "Look at me. Look at this face and tell me you can't forgive me. Go on, say it."

"Well…"

Then, Cedric's gaze turned serious. "No, seriously, Cho. I'm sorry."

"Why the sudden change of attitude, Mr. Diggory?" Cho teased again.

Cedric smiled at her and continued. "I'm sorry if I rushed into a decision without even thinking about it. I'm sorry if I hurt you and most of all, sorry for acting harsh and stupid tonight. I'm, seriously, really sorry."

Cho smiled at him. "I guess I could accept that apology. You're forgiven. But-" She held up a finger. "Don't do it again. Or else, I'll roast you alive on that fireplace." She finished, pointing to her grate.

Cedric gulped loudly, pasting a scared expression on his face. "Yes, milady. Understood." His finger was still under her chin.

They stared at each other's eyes intently. The intensity of their gaze heated the air around them. It was as if both of them were trying to see the other's soul through their eyes. The crackling of the fire was the only noise besides their heavy breathing. At that moment while she looked at his eyes, Cho became sure that she really did love him. Their warm breaths mingled with each other as their faces stayed inches apart. And after what felt like several hours of staring at each other, it might have been only a few minutes or several seconds, I can't really tell, Cedric, slowly leaned down, their lips so close to each other. Cho was the one who decided to seal the gap. But before their lips even met, they heard the loud crunching of the coals in the fire and they saw a flash of green blaze on the grate at the corner of their eyes.

"Oh, my. I-I-I'm so s-s-orry." Harry Potter stammered. He had accidentally flooed Cho right at the moment when she was doing something he shouldn't have seen. He looked at the guy with Cho and immediately recognized him.

"Oh, Cedric! How have you been? It has been a long time, mate! How are you?" He seemingly forgot the awkward situation and proceeded to greeting his companion. "How's life? What are you doing here?" Harry continued to blab questions.

Cho and Cedric immediately broke apart when they saw Harry's head poking out from the emerald flames. Cho's cheeks flushed red while Cedric's eyes widened.

"Oh, Harry. Hey there." Cedric awkwardly said after Harry had finished ranting. He nervously scratched the hair on the back of his neck. "Errrm…"

Harry, finally realizing what he had done and what scene he had interrupted on, felt his cheeks warm up with blood. He blushed fiercely and immediately stammered another apology. "Oh, my bad. I forgot. I'm really sorry I barged in like that. I didn't know Cho had a…" His eyes trailed to Cedric, a mischievous smile replacing his apologetic one. "…a visitor. I was just going to borrow some broomstick polish from Cho's kit. Mine had run out. But seeing as you two are…busy…never mind. I'll just go and you guys continue your…conversation…" Harry said and then winked. Then, he was out of the fireplace. The fire turned orange once more.

"Well, that was awkward." Cedric mumbled as he continued to stare at the fireplace.

"Uh-huh."

That night, Cho requested Cedric to stay with him. Naturally, he obliged and so after a long talk and conversation about what had been happening in their lives as of the past months and a few other "conversations", they fell asleep on the couch; Cedric had his arm draped on the head of the couch and Cho had leaned into it as a pillow, her own arm draped over Cedric's torso. They had a wonderful rest after nights of uneasy sleep. Sleeping on the cramped couch didn't seem to bother them much. As long as they were together and everything was settled, that was all they could ask for.

Several minutes before the break of dawn, Cedric woke up. He had been used to this waking up habits since he started teaching at the castle. During these hours, the Professors were already supposed to prepare for class. He looked down on the lady beside him on the couch with her arms draped over his chest. "Wake up, my lady." He murmured to her ear.

Cho stirred and opened an eye. "Huh?"

"I have to go. I have classes, remember?"

Cho stretched her arms over her head and looked up at his face. "You'll come back, won't you?"

"As soon as possible. Now, go back to sleep." Cedric said. He stood up from the couch – he was on the open side – and stretched. After stretching, he ducked slightly and proceeded to tucking one arm behind Cho's knees and the other on her back. He lifted her easily.

"What are you doing?" Cho asked. "I'm able to walk, thank you very much."

"Just go back to sleep, okay?" Cedric told her as he walked towards Cho's bedroom. Once they were at her room, he settled her down on her bed. He sat down at the edge of it. "I'll see you later." He murmured as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Take care, okay?" Cho struggled to say. Her eyes were slowly drooping as she released a huge yawn. Her bed was begging her to go to sleep already. "I love you." She managed to mumble before she nodded off to dreamland.

Cedric fondly at her. "I love you too." He said as he kissed her forehead. He disapparated instantly after having another look at her peaceful sleeping form. He had one thought in mind as he twisted his body to disapparate. He had to thank the Headmistress, after all…

Cho awoke the next morning with a smile on her lips. Her night had been great. She had slept soundlessly and she felt good. She smiled as she remembered her last conversation with Cedric. Everything turned out to be alright, in the end.

She happily took a bath and changed into her training clothes. She had Quidditch practice that day with the Falcons. Hence, Harry's need of polishing his broomstick and ending up bursting in on them at that awkward moment. After preparing herself, she went down the ground floor of the Demeure and out to the street.

Once she was out, she readied herself to disapparate to Falcons' quarters but then decided against it. The day was wonderful. A bit of stroll wouldn't hurt. Besides, she was really in the mood.

The bright morning sunrays landed on Cho's long, shiny hair. She wore her usual training clothes and her broomstick was kept on its safety bag and the servicing kit was held in one of her hands. She was going to walk up to the boundaries of the French wizarding village. From there, she was going to apparate to the quarters.

Cho Chang walked with a bounce. Her lips were turned up in a smile. Nothing could tamper her good mood today, she thought. But she was proven wrong as she rounded a corner and passed a dark alley on her way to the boundaries of the village.

"Umph!" was the sound that Cho made when a hand was pressed forcefully over her mouth, preventing her to shout or even speak. Next, she felt burly arms wrap around her waist and pull her towards the dark alley. She was pulled against the body of a person pulling her deeper into the shadows of the alley.

After making sure that they were already hidden by the shadows, the person holding Cho loosened its hold on her waist.

Cho thought the person was going to let her go when the hold on her waist was removed but then she felt a cold sharp something pressed against her neck and her blood ran cold. A shiver went down her spine. Her heart thrummed against her chest. That was when the person talked to her.

"Hello, little girl." The man whispered. His voice was ragged and vicious. His breath hit Cho's ear and it gave her another shiver down her spine. "I wanted to talk to you but I can't let you shout. So forgive me for covering your mouth." Said the man but his voice suggested that he wasn't the least bit sorry for his actions. He sounded like he was incredibly enjoying Cho's fright.

"Hmp-mh-ghg" Cho yelled against the hand of the man. She told him to let her go but of course it didn't make any sense because her mouth was pressed shut.

"Don't worry, little lady. I'll make this quick." The man said as he pressed the sharp edge of his knife harder on Cho's throat. It was a miracle it hadn't cut her yet. But then again, she didn't want it to.

At that moment, Cho thought the man was going to kill her and to 'make it quick', he will just slit her throat. Her knees trembled and her whole body shook. She didn't know what she did to the man for him to kill her. She didn't even recognize his voice, let alone know his identity. What could be the reason for his capture of her? How did her wonderful night and great day turn out like this? She was just happy she had taken care of everything with Cedric and now she was going to die.

"I was thinking of killing you, sweetheart." The man paused dramatically. He took his hand away from her mouth and wrapped it around her waist once more. Cho started to shrug him away but he tightened his hold on her and pulled her body harder against his. As an added effect to scare Cho, he took the blade off her throat and showed it to her.

The knife wasn't long but it was sharp. It was nicely polished and it gleamed against the pale light reflected on it. The edge of it was as sharp and thin as a paper but Cho would bet: it was far from being as soft as paper.

"If you wanted to kill me, why not just use a nice, clear Avada and be done with it?" Cho yelled at him once her mouth was free. She tried to cease her shaking and make her voice stop shaking to sound more firm. She decided not to let him know how scared she was. She didn't want him to have the pleasure. Though she still didn't know why he wanted to kill her, she wouldn't let him have the knowledge that he had won and made her scared to death first before he let death take over her literally.

"Shhhh, sweetie." The man mumbled against her ear once more as he pressed the flat of the blade against her lips. That made Cho shut up. "I told you, I planned to kill you. But I decided against it."

The man took the blade from Cho's lips and trained it against her throat once more.

"What do you want from me, you bastard!"

"I just need you to deliver a message." The man said.

"Do I look like an owl to you?" Cho said. She wanted to tackle him, punch him and get away but the feel of the knife against her throat paralyzed her. She had planned to hit him in the groin just so his hold on her will weaken and she could escape but then she thought that before she even got away from his hold on her waist, her throat might already been sprouting blood. She shuddered involuntarily.

"Sarcasm isn't really a choice right now, my dear. I'm being pitiful by letting you get away. All I want you to do is send my message." The man explained. "I'll know if you send my message or not. So you better be careful. You shouldn't tell him about this little meeting of ours and just tell him my message. Don't let him know anything else if you value your life."

"Who are you talking about?" Cho struggled to ask without letting the break in her voice indicate her panic.

The man chuckled coldly. He took the knife from her throat once again. Cho decided to give her a plan a try and escape but before she could, she felt something cold against her right arm. With an agonized shriek, the sharp blade slit her arm. She felt blood oozing from the wound.

"Let that mark remind you of my conditions." The man said. "Remember what I told you. And for my message... Tell him, 'Be ready. It hasn't ended yet. We have only just begun'…" With that, the man released Cho. He threw her against the wall he was formerly leaning against. She slid to the ground.

The pain from the wound numbed Cho's arm. She looked at the limb and saw blood soaking the sleeve of her sweater. The blood trailed down from the wound to her fingertips. As she looked at her wound, the smell of blood entered her nose and she almost fainted. She felt dizzy and she felt her world spin around. She looked up at the man. She still couldn't see his face. She was aware of what he told her. She knew his conditions, his threats and his message. But the problem is… she didn't know to whom the message was for and who to warn.

The man looked down on Cho and whispered his last word to her. "Tell Harry Potter my message. Nice doing business with you, Ms. Chang." With that, the man left Cho on the dark alley – alone and bleeding…

Harry took the letter, which he threw on the top of his table the past night, in his hand. He was already dressed for his Quidditch practice with the Falcons. In short, he was ready to go. But before leaving, he would send the letter that his owl refused to send the past night first.

"Okay, Fledge. It's time to send the letter." He went to the cage of the bird and unlatched the door. He coaxed the owl out the cage and pushed the letter between its beaks. To Harry's delight, the bird didn't refuse anymore and just took the letter. "Looks like you decided to be a good bird today." Harry smiled approvingly at the owl.

Fledge seemed to have accepted the fact that Harry had won and that he couldn't refuse anymore. But even then, he still looked back at Harry with sad and scared eyes.

Harry regarded the bird's worried eyes and decided to cheer him up a bit to prepare him for the long travel he would soon be doing. "Don't be sad. I promise, when you come back, a delicious meal would be waiting for you. Now, come on and send that letter." Harry stretched his arm towards the owl. Fledge stepped onto Harry's arm and he took him towards the window. "Okay, Fledge, take care!" With that, Harry threw the bird out the window and the bird flew away towards the South.

Harry gave a sigh of relief as he turned around to get his stuff. When he did so, he missed the chance to see a huge vulture pass his window and go after his owl. He was left unknowing of this fact.

When he was all set and prepared, he went out his door – he heard the locks click – and from there, he disapparated to the Falcons quarters.

A pop sounded and Harry arrived outside the gates of the Quidditch pitch of the Falcons. It had long been dedicated to the training of the French National Quidditch Team and for months, it had been a second home to Harry. The gate was open when he got there and so he made his way immediately towards the boys' dressing room. He figured the other male members were already there. Due to some unknown reason to Harry, – or he was just late always – they seemed to always arrive before him.

From the gate, Harry had to turn right if he wanted to go to the dressing room. The one on the left led to their common room, where they always held their meetings. From there, there would be another couple of passageways the one on the left leading to the boys' dressing room (left) and the girls' dressing room (right) .

Harry took the right and then left passageways and from his spot near their dressing room door, he heard a male's voice from the room. "The Wasps!" It said. The voice sounded angry. He figured it sounded like Nick when he was cursing a bludger he couldn't hit right.

"It must be them!" Nick's voice sounded again from the inside. That was when Harry decided to enter.

"The Wimbledon Wasps, you mean?" Patrick was asking Nick when Harry entered the room.

Everyone was already there when he arrived but none of them were wearing their Quidditch robes, even the boys. They were still wearing their normal clothes and both Irish and Yihsa were standing in front of Cho, who was sitting on one of the benches there. Every eye snapped to Harry when he entered.

"Guys, what's going on here? Why aren't any of you dressed yet?" Harry asked his teammates.

"We have to report them." Joe said to their team captain, ignoring Harry's question. He was sitting on the floor in front of the bench where Cho sat.

"We can't just do that, Joe. We don't have any proof." Argued Ayihsa, who proceeded to sitting down beside Cho.

"Isn't that enough of a proof?" Nick frantically asked as he pointed towards Cho. He was leaning against the lockers.

"Whoa, whoa, wait. What's going on here? What happened? Who's going to be reported? And what happened to Cho?" Harry asked as he looked at Cho and tried to detect what was wrong with her.

Cho looked up at him and they locked eyes. When she looked at him, he immediately noticed the worried glint in her eyes. She was also unusually pale and her lips were pulled down in a frown. Her right arm was cradled in her left. "What happened to you, Cho?"

Harry made his way towards Cho. Ayihsa automatically stood up and gave her seat to Harry. She, in turn, sat beside Joe on the ground. Harry took Cho's right arm. She winced as he held it. Irish, who was now kneeling in front of Cho, – who refused to answer – started folding Cho's right sleeve. Harry helped her by holding Cho's arm carefully as she folded the sleeve even though he didn't know why she was folding it. But after the sleeve was folded up to Cho's shoulder, Harry instantly knew the reason for Cho's pale complexion. He gasped when he saw what was hidden under her clothing.

"What happened to this?" Harry exclaimed when he saw the long wound starting from Cho's shoulder and ending at the middle of her upper arm. The wound was already closed and no longer bleeding but its edges were a dark blue.

"She arrived here like that. The boys found her and brought her here. Her sleeve was completely soaked with blood when we saw her. We thought she got splinched but she said she wasn't." Ahyisa explained.

"What happened to you, Cho?" Harry asked her.

Cho looked at Harry's eyes worriedly as if he was the one hurt not her.

"Someone just pulled me into a dark alley and wounded me like this. Then he went away." Cho lied. She knew she had to warn Harry about what the man said, but there was no need to tell him at this time, not in front of everybody. She knew he wouldn't want the others involved in it. He would tell him when they were already alone. "After that, I apparated here and they saw me. They healed the wound."

"I healed her wound." Maverick said, his arms folded across his chest. His face was a mixture of seriousness and worry. He was seated at the other bench behind Cho and Harry. Patrick was seated beside him. "It was easy enough to stop it from bleeding. But even after I healed it, the edges of the wound remained blue. Nick and Joe checked it out and they said that whatever wounded her, it had poison in it."

"But no worries; the kind of poison on her wound is not the kind of poison that could harm her. The effect of the poison is just that it will remain like that. The scar would never be gone and its edges will remain blue. We reckon it'll be like that forever, like a curse." Joe continued what Mav started explaining.

"It's like a reminder of the deed forever." Nick finished with gritted teeth. He was apparently still angry.

"But didn't you see his face?" Harry continued interrogating Cho. Cho shook her head. "Who would do such a thing? And why Cho?" Harry questioned. He turned his head and looked at Patrick inquisitively.

"Actually, it's not only her." Irish was the one who answered for Patrick.

Harry turned his head towards Irish. "What do you mean?"

"We got attacked as well." Irish answered Harry.

Patrick continued what Irish started explaining. "Last week, we went to the fair and…errr… someone tried to give us a cursed necklace. Fortunately, I doubted the seller. He didn't look anything close to someone who would do a good thing. I pretended to trip and tipped the container of the necklace towards the seller. I was right, it was a cursed one, because he flew to the air the moment it touched his skin."

"We left after that because we reckoned if he was offering it to us, he couldn't be someone who has a good intention. He didn't deserve any help." Irish finished.

Harry was about to ask them a question when Joe interrupted.

"We were attacked too, Nick and I." Joe said, pointing to him and his brother, Nick. "We were at the pub the other night because a friend of ours was having a party there. We ordered firewhiskey. It was a good thing that our dad was a potioneer and we knew how to detect poison from normal liquids because the moment we smelled the liquid inside the cup, we knew there was poison in there."

"When we came to the bar and told them about the poisoned drink, we described the waiter who served it. We asked them where he was. Apparently, the bloke didn't work there. He was clearly someone who was there to do some dirty work." Nick finished for Joe.

"Why didn't you tell us about that earlier?" Yihsa, who apparently wasn't attacked, bellowed at her teammates. "Those things happened to you and you didn't even tell us immediately! What's wrong with you?"

Harry interrupted Yihsa's rant. "Who do you reckon did all this?"

"Who else?" Nick shouted angrily. "The Wimbledon Wasps, of course. They're trying to bring us down so that our match would have to be forfeited and they'd win." He emphasized his anger by banging his hand on the lockers.

Nick's fist hit Harry's locker and because of the impact, the door banged open. From the inside, a piece of folded parchment fell down to the floor. Despite his anger, Nick's face was apologetic when he stared at the locker door, which had the shape of his fist dented in the middle. He then looked at the parchment lying on the floor and bent to pick it up. "Sorry about that, Harry. I'll fix it later, I promise." He then brought the paper back inside the locker.

Harry was oblivious to the argument that followed Nick's accusation of the Wasps. He was busy following the piece of parchment with his eyes as Nick put it back inside the locker. He didn't remember putting that paper in there. If that was the case, how did it end up inside? He didn't know why but he felt like there was something weird about the parchment. "Wait, Nick. Give me that." He stood up from the bench after carefully settling Cho's arm down her lap.

Nick took the paper from the locker and handed it to Harry once he had reached him. "Why, what's that?" He curiously asked. Their other teammates had stopped talking now and were watching Harry with curious eyes.

"I don't know." Harry said as he stared at the folded parchment. He realized he was right and he hadn't seen that parchment before right after he unfolded it. Written on the parchment were the words that made Harry froze.

Nick, who was looking over Harry's shoulder and the parchment as well, stiffened when he saw the same words.

Right there at the middle of the brown parchment, written with red ink and in an unfamiliar scrawl were the words: **WATCH YOUR BACKS…**

**AN: Who was the man who hurt Cho? What would happen to Fledge? Who was doing nasty things to the Falcons and why were Mav and Yihsa the only ones not attacked? What do those people want? You wanna know? Then wait for the next chapter. A bit of a cliffhanger there for you. I'll leave you with that for now. I'd like to thank those who waited patiently for this chapter and thank you as well if you stuck with this story even though the progress is very slow. And to my new readers, welcome and thank you for reading and reviewing. I hope you stick with me until the end of this fic. **

**To you, who has read this chapter, thank you and please review!**


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